
SpaceX Starship explodes during routine test
Musk's Space X said the rocket was preparing for the tenth flight test when it "experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase," without elaborating on the nature of the complication. "A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for," Space X said on social media. "There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area." — AFP

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Observer
3 days ago
- Observer
Scientists unearth 'cute' but fearsome ancient whale
Australian scientists have discovered a razor-toothed whale that prowled the seas 26 million years ago, saying Wednesday the species was "deceptively cute" but a fearsome predator. Museums Victoria pieced together the species from an unusually well-preserved skull fossil found on Victoria's Surf Coast in 2019. Scientists discovered a "fast, sharp-toothed predator" that would have been about the size of a dolphin. "It's essentially a little whale with big eyes and a mouth full of sharp, slicing teeth," said researcher Ruairidh Duncan. "Imagine the shark-like version of a baleen whale -- small and deceptively cute, but definitely not harmless." The skull belonged to a group of prehistoric whales known as the mammalodontids, distant smaller relatives of today's filter-feeding whales. It is the fourth mammalodontid species ever discovered, Museums Victoria said. "This fossil opens a window into how ancient whales grew and changed, and how evolution shaped their bodies as they adapted to life in the sea," said palaeontologist Erich Fitzgerald, who co-authored the study. Victoria's Surf Coast lies on the Jan Juc Formation -- a geological feature dating to the Oligocene epoch between 23 and 30 million years ago. A string of rare fossils have been unearthed along the scenic stretch of beach, a renowned site for the study of early whale evolution. "This region was once a cradle for some of the most unusual whales in history, and we're only just beginning to uncover their stories," said Fitzgerald. "We're entering a new phase of discovery. "This region is rewriting the story of how whales came to rule the oceans, with some surprising plot twists." The species was named Janjucetus dullardi, a nod to local Ross Dullard who stumbled across the skull while strolling the beach in 2019. It was described in the peer-reviewed Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. —AFP


Times of Oman
09-08-2025
- Times of Oman
NASA astronauts return to Earth from ISS after five months
California: Four astronauts from NASA's Crew-10 mission departed the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule, beginning an almost 18-hour journey back to Earth. US astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan's Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov are set to splash down off California's coast in the Pacific Ocean at 3.33 p.m. UTC/GMT on Saturday. The crew's return wraps up NASA's 10th commercial crew rotation. According to the space agency, the four astronauts conducted more than 200 'important and time-sensitive research' experiments over 146 days, including studies on plant growth and cell behavior in microgravity. The Crew-10 mission was launched on March 14, replacing Crew-9, whose members included Barry 'Butch' Wilmore and Sunita 'Suni' Williams. Wilmore and Williams were stranded for nine months aboard the ISS after their Boeing Starliner capsule developed propulsion issues. Eventually, a SpaceX capsule owned by billionaire Elon Musk brought the stranded astronauts home. Wilmore retired this week after 25 years with NASA, the space agency announced.


Observer
02-08-2025
- Observer
SPACEX CREW DRAGON DOCKS WITH ISS
FLORIDA: An international team of four astronauts aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule docked on Saturday with the orbiting International Space Station (ISS). "Docking confirmed!" SpaceX posted on social media, along with a video showing the spacecraft making contact with the ISS at 2:27 am Eastern Time (0627 GMT), far above the southeast Pacific Ocean. American astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan's Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov are joining the ISS on a six-month mission. They lifted off on Friday morning from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, their capsule mounted on a Falcon 9 rocket. It is the 11th crew rotation mission to the ISS under Nasa's Commercial Crew Program, created to succeed the Space Shuttle era by partnering with private industry. As part of their stay, the Crew-11 astronauts will simulate Moon landing scenarios that could be encountered near the lunar South Pole under the US-led Artemis programme. Using handheld controllers and multiple display screens, they will test how shifts in gravity affect astronauts' ability to pilot spacecraft, including future lunar landers. — AFP