‘A light not of this world': The spectacle and emotions generated by the first atomic bomb blast, in the words of eyewitnesses
Leona H. Woods: In the middle of May, on two separate nights in the same week, the Air Force mistook the Trinity base for its illuminated practice bombing target and dropped bombs on the carpenter shop and on another building, neither of which was occupied by people after dark.
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Toronto Star
03-08-2025
- Toronto Star
‘A light not of this world': The spectacle and emotions generated by the first atomic bomb blast, in the words of eyewitnesses
In mid-July 1945, the world's first atomic weapon was assembled for a test in a remote corner of the New Mexico desert known as the Trinity site. As recounted in Garrett M. Graff's new book, 'The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb' — which pulls together the first-person voices of around 500 participants and witnesses — the military and scientists involved in that historic moment, after long toil at the Los Alamos lab a few hours north, hoped to launch the atomic age. All sources are physicists except as identified otherwise and quotes have been edited for clarity and concision. Leona H. Woods: In the middle of May, on two separate nights in the same week, the Air Force mistook the Trinity base for its illuminated practice bombing target and dropped bombs on the carpenter shop and on another building, neither of which was occupied by people after dark.
Globe and Mail
04-07-2025
- Globe and Mail
Rocket Lab Stock Soars Higher as Neutron's Maiden Flight Nears
Rocket Lab Corp. RKLB is currently on the cusp of a transformative milestone with its highly anticipated Neutron rocket approaching its maiden flight in the second half of 2025. To expand beyond its small-launcher Electron and capture the medium-lift payload market, while positioning itself to compete with heavy-lift providers like SpaceX, Rocket Lab launched the Neutron program. This medium-class, reusable vehicle, with a potential payload capacity of approximately 15,000 kg, aims to offer flexible, cost-effective access to space for a wide range of customers, including satellite constellations, government missions, and commercial payloads. To this end, it is imperative to mention that in May 2025 Rocket Lab announced that it will launch its Neutron rocket for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory for a Rocket Cargo mission to support point-to-point cargo transportation, establishing a new era of commercial launch capability to advance global defense logistics for the nation. Earlier in February, the company revealed details about the ocean landing platform, a modified barge, for Neutron missions returning to Earth. Customized modification is currently ongoing on this barge, including autonomous ground support equipment to capture and secure the landed Neutron, blast shielding to protect equipment during Neutron landings, and station-keeping thrusters for precise positioning. These announcements implying consistent progress in the Neutron program have bolstered investor confidence, reflected in Rocket Lab's share price performance. While the company's year-to-date price increase has been modest, the past three months have seen a sharper uptick, underscoring growing optimism around Neutron's prospects as new milestones mentioned above are achieved. RKLB's shares gained 40% year to date, while the same soared 103.6% over the past three months. Other Stocks One Should Keep an Eye on The space launch services market has been witnessing solid growth trends driven by surging demand for satellite constellations, increasing government and defense investments, and the growing need for low-cost, reliable access to space to support telecommunications, Earth observation, and national security missions. Therefore, investors interested in this business realm may keep RKLB along with other industry players like Boeing BA and Lockheed Martin LMT in their watchlist, which already enjoy an established footprint in the space launch market. Boeing's products have powered human space exploration for six decades now. The company is the prime contractor for the design, development and production of the core stage, upper stages and flight avionics suite used in NASA's Space Launch System, the only proven deep-space optimized, super-heavy lift rocket built to carry astronauts and cargo farther and faster than any rocket in history. Lockheed Martin is another space stock that has contributed significantly to various space missions with its breakthrough technologies. It is the prime contractor involved in the construction of Orion, the spacecraft that will carry the crew of four astronauts in the Artemis II lunar mission. The Zacks Rundown for RKLB Shares of RKLB have gained 630.8% in the past year compared with the industry 's 50.9% growth. With respect to valuation, the company trades at a premium. RKLB currently trades at a forward 12-month Price/Sales of 22.49X compared with its industry's average of 10.06X. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimates for RKLB's 2025 and 2026 loss have improved over the past 60 days. RKLB stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops." Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.5% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The Boeing Company (BA): Free Stock Analysis Report Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT): Free Stock Analysis Report Rocket Lab Corporation (RKLB): Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (
CBC
27-06-2025
- CBC
U.S. government cuts key hurricane forecasting data from satellites
Social Sharing Weather experts are warning that hurricane forecasts will be severely hampered by the upcoming cutoff of key data from U.S. Department of Defence satellites, the latest Trump administration move with potential consequences for the quality of forecasting. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said it would discontinue the "ingest, processing and distribution" of data collected by three weather satellites that the agency jointly runs with the Defense Department. The data is used by scientists, researchers and forecasters, including at the National Hurricane Center. It wasn't immediately clear why the government planned to cut off the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's microwave data by Monday. The Defence Department referred questions to the Air Force, which referred them to the Navy, which did not immediately provide comment. In a statement, NOAA spokesperson Kim Doster called it a "routine process of data rotation and replacement," and said the remaining data sources "are fully capable of providing a complete set of cutting-edge data and models that ensure the gold-standard weather forecasting the American people deserve." Data helps identify rapid intensification Traditional visible or infrared satellites provide data that becomes images showing the structure, intensity and temperature of a storm, according to NOAA information, along with features such as lightning. But those miss the three-dimensional details of a storm. The microwave data gives critical information that can't be gleaned from the conventional satellites, and helps peer under a regular image of a hurricane or a tropical cyclone to see what's going on inside. It is especially helpful at night. The news is especially noteworthy during the ongoing hurricane season and as lesser storms have become more frequent, deadly and costly as climate change is worsened by the burning of fossil fuels. WATCH | CBC meteorologist looks at what's in store for this year's hurricane season: CBC meteorologist Ashley Brauweiler breaks down this year's National Hurricane Centre forecast 1 month ago Duration 1:46 Microwave imagery allows researchers and forecasters to see the centre of the storm. Experts say that can help in detecting the rapid intensification of storms and in more accurately plotting the likely path of dangerous weather. "If a hurricane, let's say, is approaching the Gulf Coast, it's a day away from making landfall, it's nighttime," said Marc Alessi, a science fellow with the Union of Concerned Scientists. "We will no longer be able to say, 'OK, this storm is definitely undergoing rapid intensification, we need to update our forecasts to reflect that.' " Other microwave data will be available but only roughly half as much, hurricane specialist Michael Lowry said in a blog post. He said that greatly increases the odds that forecasters will miss rapid intensification, underestimate intensity or misplace the storm. That "will severely impede and degrade hurricane forecasts for this season and beyond, affecting tens of millions of Americans who live along its hurricane-prone shorelines," he said. Ending satellite access 'is insanity,' researcher says University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy called the loss of data "alarmingly bad news" in a post on Bluesky. "Microwave data are already relatively sparse, so any loss — even gradual as satellites or instruments fail — is a big deal; but to abruptly end three active functioning satellites is insanity." NOAA and its National Weather Service office have been the target of cuts and changes in U.S. President Donald Trump's second term. Already, hurricane forecasts were anticipated to be less accurate this year because weather balloons launches have been curtailed due to lack of staffing. "What happened this week is another attempt by the Trump administration to sabotage our weather and climate infrastructure," Alessi said. Canadian impact of NOAA cuts When the NOAA cuts were first announced earlier this year, Eddie Sheerr was among a growing number of Canadian scientists sounding the alarm about sweeping NOAA cuts made by the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, then run by billionaire Elon Musk. Sheerr, a meteorologist with NTV in St. John's, said he uses NOAA's data and modelling "literally every day." "They have some of the best hurricane forecasters and meteorologists in the world. I rely on that data and their expertise heavily when tracking these tropical systems, as do meteorologists throughout the country," he said in a recent interview. "They provide life-saving information. Period." Sheerr said he was using NOAA data when he decided to phone Port aux Basques Mayor Brian Button the night before Fiona slammed into the community on Newfoundland's southwestern tip in September 2022. He said he figured people would tell the mayor they'd seen plenty of bad storms. "And I said, 'Brian, you haven't seen this before. And that's what you need to tell the residents.' " Sheerr urged Button to evacuate homes closest to the water, and Button took his advice. Fiona destroyed about 100 houses in the area and swept a woman out to sea. Data from NOAA makes Canadian forecasts and weather warnings more accurate, Sheerr said, adding that he worries the cuts will reduce the accuracy of forecasts and ultimately make it harder to predict the impacts of dangerous storms.
