Latest news with #NewShepherd
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Brunswick students sent scientific instrument into space on Blue Origin
Apr. 21—A little piece of Brunswick entered space last week onboard the all-female Blue Origin rocket flight. Partnering with nonprofit Teachers in Space, Karin Paquin's middle school students at St. John's Catholic School designed an experiment that flew on the New Shepherd rocket during the historic launch on April 14. The CubeSat, a type of small satellite, flew with other experiments — including many designed by students — in the payload of the rocket. It had also been on an unmanned flight leading up to the one captained by Lauren Sanchez. Students proposed hypotheses and schematics and selected sensors for the CubeSat. Their experiment measured temperature, UV radiation and other environmental conditions in the cabin as the rocket launched into suborbital space. Fiona Sharp, now a freshman at Brunswick High School, helped design the Blue Origin CubeSat last year when she was in eighth grade at St. John's. She programmed sensors that went into the Blue Origin experiment, including one that measured radiation. "There's really no words to describe it; it was just surreal," Sharp said. "It's crazy to see something that you touched with your own hands and put so much time into fly." St. John's students watched the launch live at school last week. "It was really really cool having something that kids we knew built, and it was on a flight with all of these influential women," said seventh grader Aria Golletti, who didn't work on the Blue Origin experiment but is working on St. John's next space project now. The hands-on experience shows students that "everyone can do science," Paquin said. It was possible through a grant Blue Origin provided to Teachers in Space, she added. "Companies like (Blue Origin) make experiences for my students possible, because this is not something that a teacher or a small school could afford, so that's pretty exciting — companies that put education first, knowing eventually, we're going to have to fill positions," Paquin said. "And so how do you get kids started?" Sharp said her experience in Paquin's class helped solidify her love for science, and taught her the importance of trial and error. "Just because you don't get the results you want back the fist time, you should keep experimenting and maybe try something else," Sharp said. Paquin's science classes over the years have had several experiments onboard space flights. She said that the Maine Space Grant Consortium, Teachers in Space and Space for Teachers have been invaluable resources in helping bring space education to Brunswick and beyond. Work from students at St. John's will also be on board a Zero-G flight in May, on which Paquin will be a passenger. "The coding was tough," said seventh grader Jesse Davis, who worked on the upcoming experiment. "I was not totally sure what I was doing, but with lots of help, I got through." Zero-G planes, or reduced gravity aircrafts, simulate the feeling of weightlessness and are used for astronaut training, research flights and tourism. Paquin went on one such research flight two years ago. "All of a sudden, you just feel weightless," Paquin said about her experience. Some former students have taken their research even further by competing in the University of Southern Maine CubeSat Design Competition. St. John's students Wesley Agnor and Gabriel Grondin placed first in the competition's middle school category last year. Paquin will also lead workshops this summer on space education at the CS Summer of Fun conference in Bangor. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
All-female Blue Origin spaceflight launches from Texas
(NewsNation) – Six women are scheduled Monday to take the first all-female flight into space in over half a century. Members of the high-profile group — recording artist Katy Perry, journalists Gayle King and Lauren Sánchez, former NASA scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and movie producer Kerianne Flynn — have been in West Texas for a few days for training and getting fitted for space suits. Blue Origin, the rocket company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced the trip earlier this year. Although the flight has received wide attention for the gender of its crew, the first all-female journey beyond the atmosphere was accomplished by Soviet-era cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, in a 1963 solo mission. Monday's New Shepard launch window is scheduled to open 9:30 a.m. ET/8:30 a.m. CT, the company says. All participants in this week's flight aboard Blue Origin's New Shepherd capsule expressed excitement for the opportunity. 'I am feeling so grateful and grounded and honored to be invited and included with this incredible group of women,' Perry told The Associated Press last week. Their entry into space is expected to last about 10 minutes. The private mission has drawn scorn from critics like actress Olivia Munn, who say the project seems extravagant when compared to problems back on Earth. Blue Origin doesn't advertise its prices online but requires a $150,000 deposit per seat. Despite what critics might say, it's not all fun and games. Nguyen, for example, is conducting three experiments in space to help future generations of astronauts. Her research includes testing how fast plants can grow in space and how astronaut suits handle moisture. 'Women, in the beginning of NASA, were barred from becoming astronauts, and one of the reasons cited was menstruation, but they didn't have the data to back that up. So, my experiment will be gathering data, hopefully, to refute that,' Nguyen said recently. Bezos' rocket company Blue Origin announced the crew in February. Sanchez, a helicopter pilot and former TV journalist, picked the women who will join her on the spaceflight. Blue Origin has flown tourists on short hops to space since 2021, after Bezos climbed aboard with his brother for the inaugural trip; the upcoming trip will be the company's 11th human spaceflight. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why Oprah, the Kardashians, and More Celebs Were at the Blue Origin Space Launch
Gayle King, Katy Perry, and Lauren Sánchez have returned to Earth after an 11-minute space flight aboard Blue Origin's New Shepherd launch vehicle. The three women were part of a six-woman space crew on April 14, which also included former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn. According to Blue Origin—founded by Jeff Bezos, who is engaged to Sánchez—this marks the first all-female space crew in more than 60 years. King's longtime best friend Oprah Winfrey traveled to west Texas to watch her BFF skyrocket into space, and said, per USA Today, 'I've never been more proud of my friend than today.' Winfrey wore a bright yellow sweater to the 8:30 a.m. CST launch, paying homage to King's call sign—'Sunshine.' 'This is bigger than just going to space,' Winfrey said of King, who has a fear of flying. 'This is overcoming a wall of fear. I think it's going to be cathartic.' King has said that Winfrey encouraged her to take part in the NS-31 mission, with Winfrey telling King how much she might regret it if she didn't. 'You should always know that no dream is too big,' King said ahead of the flight. Joining Winfrey to watch the launch was the mother-daughter duo of Kris Jenner and Khloe Kardashian, who just celebrated her daughter True's seventh birthday over the weekend. 'It's really something,' Jenner said, adding that daughter Kim Kardashian was supposed to join as well, but was studying for a law school exam. 'It's a brave thing to do,' Jenner added of the Blue Origin flight. 'Really, whatever you dream of, it is in our reach,' Kardashian added. 'Dream big, wish for the stars, and one day you can maybe be amongst them.' Ahead of the launch, Perry said to her family, 'I love them so much. And I am so grateful to be representing a fearless female in my family, which is a domino effect from my mom, from my sister, and definitely something I feel from my daughter,' referring to 4-year-old Daisy, whom she shares with Orlando Bloom. 'It is very normal for us to talk about mommy going to space now, and I will be so excited to hold her when I land,' Perry added, per CNN. She brought a daisy flower with her into space 'to remind us that the Earth is very precious,' she added. Earlier this month, Perry told Elle that 'Space is going to finally be glam,' adding, 'Let me tell you something. If I could take glam up with me, I would do that.' 'We're going to have lash extensions flying in the capsule!' Sánchez joked. Of taking on the mission, King said, 'There was something about being part of the first female team to me. The group of women that they put together is so extraordinary to me that I thought, 'Wow. Why would I not want to be a part of that?'' 'I'm looking forward to just floating in space and just seeing what that feels like, and what that looks like,' she continued. As part of the mission, the six-member crew voyaged above the Kármán Line, the 62-mile-high internationally recognized boundary of space. Read the original article on InStyle
The Hill
14-04-2025
- Science
- The Hill
All-female Blue Origin space flight prepares for liftoff
(NewsNation) — Six women are scheduled Monday to take the first all-female flight into space since 1963. Members of the high-profile group — recording artist Katy Perry, journalists Gayle King and Lauren Sánchez, former NASA scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and movie producer Kerianne Flynn — have been in West Texas for a few days for training and getting fitted for space suits. Blue Origin, the rocket company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced the trip earlier this year. Although the flight has received wide attention for the gender of its crew, the first all-female journey beyond the atmosphere was accomplished by Soviet-era cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, in a 1963 solo mission. All participants in this week's flight aboard Blue Origin's New Shepherd capsule expressed excitement for the opportunity. 'I am feeling so grateful and grounded and honored to be invited and included with this incredible group of women,' Perry told The Associated Press last week. Their entry into space is expected to last about 10 minutes. The private mission has drawn scorn from critics like actress Olivia Munn, who say the project seems extravagant when compared to problems back on Earth. Blue Origin doesn't advertise its prices online but requires a $150,000 deposit per seat. Despite what critics might say, it's not all fun and games. Nguyen, for example, is conducting three experiments in space to help future generations of astronauts. Her research includes testing how fast plants can grow in space and how astronaut suits handle moisture. 'Women, in the beginning of NASA, were barred from becoming astronauts, and one of the reasons cited was menstruation, but they didn't have the data to back that up. So, my experiment will be gathering data, hopefully, to refute that,' Nguyen said recently.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Katy Perry's 'confirmations from the heavens' ahead of space jaunt
Katy Perry has received "confirmations from the heavens" ahead of her trip into space. The 'Teenage Dream' singer will be part of an all-female crew - which also includes presenters Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez - when she blasts off on the next launch of Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket on Monday (14.04.25). Katy, 40, believes "something bigger" will be steering the ship after she discovered the outline of the capsule is "in the shape of a feather", and its name is Tortoise - and her mother calls her Tortoise and Feather as affectionate nicknames. She said in an Instagram video: "You know that I'm always looking for little confirmations from the heavens, from my guides, from the angels, from my higher self. "You know when I ask for it and I am open to it, it's pretty loud. "So when I was invited to come on this voyage, I looked up at the capsule, and the capsule, on the very front of it, is the outline in the shape of a feather. "And when I saw that it was like a total confirmation, because my mom has always called me Feather. "There's a lot to digest and we're almost finished for the day and they show us the capsule, we've run simulations in a different capsule. "And they reveal the name of the capsule and the capsule's name is Tortoise. "A wave - just the most energetic wave just shot through my body and I was like 'What, this capsule's name is Tortoise?' "My mom calls me two nicknames: Feather and Tortoise. What are the chances that I'm going to space on a rocket in a capsule with my symbol the feather called Tortoise? "And my mom calls me Tortoise. I will screenshot my mom's text messages when she calls me Tortoise. "There are no coincidences and I'm just so grateful for these confirmations and so grateful that I feel like something bigger than me is steering the ship." Katy wrote in the caption: "Today's reminder that there is something bigger than me guiding my journey. Love, Feather/Tortoise (sic)" The Blue Origin flight, part of the New Shepherd programme, will launch in the West Texas high desert. Gayle recently admitted she is "terrified and excited" to be taking part. Speaking on 'CBS Mornings', she said: "I'm so afraid. But I'm also so excited about it. I don't know how to explain being terrified and excited at the same time. It's like how I felt about to deliver a baby."
