Latest news with #Palmdale
CBS News
3 days ago
- Automotive
- CBS News
2 California Highway Patrol officers hospitalized after rollover crash in Palmdale
Two California Highway Patrol officers were hospitalized on Saturday after they were involved in a rollover crash in Palmdale. It happened at around 6:45 p.m. on southbound lanes of the 14 Freeway near Barrel Springs Road, according to CHP officials. Circumstances leading up to the crash remain unclear, but video posted to social media shows the CHP patrol car as it rolls over and ends up on its side. Both of the officers inside were taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution, but neither is believed to have suffered any sort of major injury, according to CHP officers. The CHP vehicle was the only one involved in the crash, according to the department. A SigAlert was issued at around 7:20 p.m. as the crash was investigated. It was lifted just before 9:10 p.m.
The Independent
22-07-2025
- Science
- The Independent
NASA tests new ‘quiet' supersonic plane capable of London-New York flight in under four hours
NASA has begun testing a new supersonic aircraft, almost 22 years after Concorde flew its last passenger service. The 'quiet' X-59 research aircraft – 99.7 feet long, with a wingspan of 29.7 feet – is designed to fly faster than the speed of sound, without generating loud sonic booms. On 10 July, NASA test pilot Nils Larson performed the X-59's first low-speed taxi test at US Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. During the taxi test, flight crews monitored steering and braking systems as the aircraft manoeuvred the runway. According to NASA: 'Over the coming weeks, the aircraft will gradually increase its speed, leading up to a high-speed taxi test that will take the aircraft just short of the point where it would take off.' The X-59 is part of NASA's Quesst mission to complete a quiet supersonic flight with a 'thump' rather than a sonic boom. The space administration says that the aircraft is expected to fly at 1.4 times the speed of sound, or 925mph, with the potential to connect New York and London in three and a half hours. NASA said that data gathered from the X-59 test flights will be used to inform 'acceptable noise thresholds' for commercial supersonic flights over land. On 27 April 1973, the US federal government banned all civilian supersonic flights over land to prevent the resulting sonic booms from startling the public. NASA's Quesst mission integration manager Peter Coen previously said: 'Instead of a rule based solely on speed, we are proposing the rule be based on sound. If the sound of a supersonic flight isn't loud enough to bother anyone below, there's no reason why the airplane can't be flying supersonic.' Concorde, the last supersonic passenger service, was operated by British Airways from New York's JFK Airport to London's Heathrow Airport on 24 October 2003. The supersonic aircraft suffered a catastrophic crash in Paris on 25 July 2000, which, along with high operating costs and declining passenger numbers, caused the aircraft to be retired.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA's X-59 'quiet' supersonic jet rolls out for its 1st test drive (video)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. NASA's X-59 "quiet" supersonic jet continues to make its way toward the runway. The X-59 was designed from the ground up to fly faster than the speed of sound without generating the thunderous sonic booms typically associated with supersonic flight. The 99-foot (30-meter) aircraft features a radical elongated design, which eliminates a front windscreen; pilots instead see what's ahead through an augmented reality-enabled closed circuit camera system that NASA calls the External Vision System, or XVS. This month, NASA took the experimental aircraft out for a drive, performing what are known as taxi tests. During these tests, NASA test pilot Nils Larson drove the X-59 across a runway at low speeds so crews could ensure the jet's steering and braking systems work as intended. Next, NASA and Lockheed Martin will perform high-speed taxi tests in which the X-59 will accelerate to close to the speed at which it will take off. VIDEO NOT PLAYING? Some ad blockers can disable our video player. The taxi tests took place at the U.S. Air Force's Plant 42 facility in Palmdale, California. The Air Force and its contractors use the plant to manufacture and test classified aircraft; the X-59 is being developed by Lockheed Martin, whose legendary "Skunk Works" facility is found at Plant 42. Some of the U.S. military's most advanced aircraft were developed to some extent at Plant 42, including the F-22 Raptor, the B-2 Spirit, and the uncrewed RQ-170 Sentinel spy drone. NASA's recently-retired SOFIA airborne observatory aircraft, the "flying telescope," also called Plant 42 home. The agency's space shuttles, the world's first reusable spacecraft, were also assembled and tested at the facility. These taxi tests are only the most recent tests that have taken place over the last several months. Earlier this month, NASA teamed up with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to test a scale model of the X-59 in a supersonic wind tunnel in order to measure the noise produced beneath the aircraft. Months prior, in May 2025, NASA fed data into the aircraft's computers that simulated being in flight, including experiencing failures. A month before that, NASA ran the X-59 through an "engine speed hold," similar to a car's cruise control, to ensure its engine can maintain a specific speed. But 2025 began with the most photogenic of all: afterburner tests, during which extra fuel was injected into the aircraft's hot exhaust. If the X-59's upcoming tests continue to be successful, NASA will soon conduct a flight test campaign that will see the jet fly over selected populated areas to collect data on how the aircraft's quieter sonic "thumps" are perceived on the ground. The ultimate goal is to develop technologies that can help bring supersonic flight back to the continental United States. Commercial supersonic flight has been banned for decades because of how disruptive the associated sonic booms can be. If the X-59 and other supersonic aircraft can find ways to mitigate these loud sonic booms, supersonic flight could indeed return, greatly reducing flight times for civilian travel, disaster response, medical transport and other applications.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fact Check: 'Batman' actor Christian Bale is building a village for foster children in California
Claim: Actor Christian Bale is building 12 homes in a $22 million village in Palmdale, California, that aims to keep siblings in the foster-care system together. Rating: In July 2025, a claim (archived) circulated that "Batman" actor Christian Bale would live up to his character's reputation as a wealthy do-gooder by building 12 homes in a $22 million village in Palmdale, California, that aimed to keep siblings in the foster-care system together. One popular Reddit version of the claim, titled "Guy might actually be Bruce Wayne.." detailed the plans for the village, praising Bale's intention to change the lives of vulnerable children. Guy might actually be Bruce innextfuckinglevel The claim circulated on X (archived), Instagram (archived) and Facebook (archived). Snopes readers also searched our site for more information about the rumor. The heartwarming claim is true. Bale and Together California, a charity founded by the actor; his wife, Sibi; and University of California, Los Angeles, Dr. Eric Esrailian, broke ground on the project in 2024. According to Together California, the village, located near Palmdale, will feature 12 homes and a community center. The project was estimated to cost $22 million at the time of the groundbreaking, according to international media. According to Together California's Facebook page (archived), construction remained ongoing in late June 2025. In May 2025, CBS reported the village was hoping to welcome its first children "next year." CBS also reported that "trained foster parents" would take care of the children living in the village. According to AC Martin, the architects on the project, Together California's "Village for Brothers and Sisters" will feature 12 town house units for children in foster care, two studio units for young adults transitioning out of the foster-care system, a 7,000-square-foot community building and outdoor space. Bale first got involved with the U.S. foster-care system in 2008, according to CBS, after considering what would happen to his own daughter if she were left without her parents. DALTON, ANDREW. "Christian Bale Breaks Ground on Foster Homes He's Fought for 16 Years to See Built." AP News, 7 Feb. 2024, Gardner, Chris. "Christian Bale Breaks Ground on 16-Year Passion Project: 12 New Homes for Foster Children." The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2024, "Our Village." Together California, Accessed 19 June 2025. Shoard, Catherine. "Christian Bale Unveils Plans to Build 12 Foster Homes in California." The Guardian, 8 Feb. 2024. The Guardian, Smith, Tracy, and Jennifer Earl. Christian Bale's on a Mission to Keep Foster Siblings Together. For Him, It's the Role of a Lifetime. - CBS News. 18 May 2025, Together California. "Together California Had the Incredible Opportunity to Sit down with CBS Sunday Morning and Speak about the Mission That Drives Us Every Day. ." Facebook, 7 June 2025, Together California: A Village for Brothers & Sisters. Accessed 19 June 2025. Williams, Martha. "Christian Bale Breaks Ground on 12 Foster Homes in California." Mail Online, 9 Feb. 2024, Solve the daily Crossword
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
How the Space Shuttles were given better names thanks to Star Trek
Nasa The first Space Shuttle was originally going to be named Constitution. US President Gerald Ford agreed to rename it Enterprise – here's how Star Trek fans persuaded him. It's 17 September 1976. The world's press has gathered in Palmdale, California, for the revealing of Nasa's first Space Shuttle vehicle: The Enterprise. But it wasn't always supposed to have that name. It was a huge day for Nasa and for the US administration, as they began a new adventure in space travel. After the Moon landings, the Space Shuttle would be Nasa's project to make spaceflight routine, affordable and accessible for the future. In the audience were presidential aides, Nasa officials, astronauts and some very special guests. Many of the cast and crew members of TV science fiction series Star Trek also came along to watch the vehicle be unveiled. Getty Images It was also quite the day for the show's fans. The US president and Nasa agreed to dedicate and name the first Space Shuttle after the flagship of Star Trek's fleet, the Star Ship Enterprise. "Nasa has received hundreds of thousands of letters from the space-orientated Star Trek group, asking that the name be given to the craft," said government aide William Gorog, in a now declassified memo to the then President, Gerald Ford. Fans bombarded Nasa and the White House with letters about why the ship should be renamed. And it was not the first time Star Trek fans had run a campaign like this, either. The mastermind behind the campaign was among those watching the unveiling at Palmdale. Her name is Betty Jo Trimble, otherwise known to Star Trek fans as Bjo Trimble. She has become something of an icon in the science fiction world. Bjo became famous for her fashion shows at the World Science Fiction Convention, which was an early form of Comicon. Her fashion shows would give fans a glimpse of all kinds of outfits from the sci-fi world. But, one day, Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, got in touch with her. He wanted to use the fashion shows to promote some early Star Trek costumes. Getty Images Trimble became a close friend of the show. She was invited on to set to meet the actors. She got to know Rodenberry personally. She ran her own fanzine. They would even become a crew member, when they appeared in an unnamed role in the Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979. But Bjo is most famous for running the successful Save Star Trek campaign, with her husband John Trimble, which stopped NBC from cancelling the show after its first two seasons. The campaign has become one of the most famous in TV history. "Star Trek fans could be very persuasive," admitted Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock in the series. (He also attended the Enterprise ceremony.) Building the space shuttle The Space Shuttle was a challenge that had never before been undertaken by a space programme. The idea was to create a vehicle that could leave the Earth like a rocket but then land after its mission was completed like a plane. The challenge was famously laid down to Nasa's engineers at a meeting on April Fool's Day 1969 where Max Faget, an eccentric mechanical engineer who could always be found wearing his famous bowtie, strode into the room, pulled a balsa wood model of a "funny looking" plane from a bag and flew it across the room. Faget was the designer behind the Mercury spacecraft, and later the Apollo and Gemini aircraft for Nasa, and would play a vital part in the design of the new shuttle as engineers tried to figure out how to build the vehicle within Nasa's budget. (Hear more about the dramatic story of this pioneering spacecraft in 13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle.) Nasa Palmdale in California was the centre of the aeronautics industry. One of the biggest companies there was Rockwell International, which had built aircraft like the successful B-1 bomber, which is still in service today. Rockwell were offered the contract to the build this prototype. In 1974, construction began and two years later, the Shuttle was finally ready to be unveiled. Changing the name The prototype was originally planned to be called The Constitution, to mark the centenary of the foundational document of the United States. But Star Trek fans had other ideas. "A couple of other fans started this project, but for some reason, they could not finish it, and asked us to take it over," Bjo Trimble told the official Star Trek website in an interview in 2023. "We thought it was a good idea to make the public really aware of the space programme by using a popular name for the first shuttle." Eventually their letters began to work and found their way into a memo to the President The Trimbles, among a few others, set up another letter-writing campaign to change the name, drawing on the same techniques they had used during the Save Star Trek campaign. There were no home computers at time, so the couple hit the phones, connecting conventions, newsletters and Star Trek communities all over the world through typewriter and telephone Eventually their letters began to work and found their way into a memo to the President. In the declassified letter Gorog suggested to President Ford that the idea might help the space programme. Paramount Television/Alamy After all, Nasa was launching a new ship and a new idea to the American public. It needed their attention. Gorog summarised in the memo: This group comprises millions of individuals who are deeply interested in our space programme The name "Enterprise" is tied in with the system on which the Nation's economic structure is built. Use of the name would provide a substantial human interest appeal to the rollout ceremonies scheduled for this month in California, where the aeronautical industry is of vital importance. Many agreed. James Fletcher, Nasa's chief administrator was also open to the idea. Jim Cannon, a political advisor to President Ford, agreed it seemed an "excellent name", that it would "personally gratify" one of the most dedicated constituencies in the country. Getty Images And there was naval history to the name too. During World War Two, Enterprise was an aircraft carrier that served in the Pacific while another ship with the name helped fight pirates in 1803 in the days of the American republic. Eventually, the five Space Shuttles that followed all bore the names of famous ships of exploration that had traversed Earth's oceans: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour. President Ford responded positively to the pressure, approving a decision memo recommending the name change on 3 September 1976. A few days after the memo, the President met with Fletcher to confirm that a name change would be suitable. It offered both a public relations win for the presidential office, Nasa and Star Trek fans. The rollout Back to the big unveiling day in Palmdale, the nose of Enterprise appeared from the corner of a giant aircraft hangar. It was flanked either side by white-suited technicians. It was brilliant white, with a black underside, stubby wings and a high tail fin. As the vehicle's wheels rolled onto the tarmac, the United States Air Force band had a surprise for the gathered guests. They broke out into the Star Trek theme to massive cheers from the audience. Star Wars fans wanted their place in space history too The vehicle would be used for the early aerial and landing tests of the Shuttle in the years that followed. These gave the astronauts and pilots who would later fly the Space Shuttles on their missions into orbit vital experience of what the vehicle could do. Eventually, on 12 April 1981, Nasa flew STS-1, the first flight of the Space Shuttle programme. The vehicle they used, Columbia, was redesigned from the original Enterprise prototype. But the legacy of the original vehicle and the public relations campaign stuck. Actress Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed Lieutenant Uhura on the TV show, was hired by Nasa to help them recruit women and members of minority groups to the astronaut programme in the 1970s. Other sci-fi fans wanted in on the action too. After Space Shuttle Enterprise was renamed, a flyer appeared in the Star Wars newsletter Falcon. Star Wars fans wanted their place in space history too. Using a similar letter writing campaign to Star Trek's, they started their own campaign. Sadly, they were unsuccessful in naming the second shuttle the Millenium Falcon, but the legacy of the links between sci-fi and the US space agency are still strong. More like this: • What caused the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster? • Why astronauts get nervous on the launchpad • The man who designs the future Over the years many astronauts have used for Star Trek motifs on their mission badges and in group portraits. Others have spoken about how the show inspired them in the first place while many of the actors have developed strong relationships with Nasa. In 2012, some of the same Star Trek stars who were there at that initial rollout of the space shuttle Enterprise watched as the craft made its final journey, landing at John F Kennedy Airport in New York on its way to its current home at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Science Museum. It was a fitting tribute to a spacecraft that, to use words from the opening sequence of Start Trek, had enabled humans to boldly go where no-one had gone before. -- If you liked this story, sign up for The Essential List newsletter – a handpicked selection of features, videos and can't-miss news, delivered to your inbox twice a week. For more science, technology, environment and health stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
