Posts Tagged: Earth

Minecraft x Planet Earth III is the least offensive corpo collab of the year

If you own a copy of Minecraft: Bedrock Edition or Minecraft: Education Edition, you can now grab a free expansion pack based on the BBC's Planet Earth III. Much like the previous Frozen Planet II experience, this new wildlife documentary DLC lets players explore five scenarios through the lens of animals — arctic wolves, ocelots, musk oxen, leopards, Cape fur seals, great white sharks, impalas and more. 

Basically, be the hunter or be hunted; you get to play both sides on locations ranging from the Arctic tundra to the Okavango Delta. In the case of the lily-trotter, you're either the father protecting your chicks from crocodiles, or you're one of the chicks following your father's signals. There's also an activity involving the fascinating interaction between unlikely insect allies: the tree hopper and the stingless bee, with the latter in charge of shooing ants and assassin bugs away from the tree hoppers' nest.

A new addition to this educational experience is the "BBC Planet Earth Field Station," which is set in the heart of a pixelated jungle. This serves as a portal to the five biomes, with extra goodies including sound boards, animal facts and a cinematics album. Upon the completion of each activity (which can be repeated), you'll receive rewards that can be used to decorate the hub or dress up your avatar.

With the game reaching its 15th anniversary this year, Minecraft has become the best-selling video game of all time, reaching over 300 million copies sold as of October last year. There's also a movie adaptation in the works, reportedly starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa when it comes out in April 2025.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/minecraft-x-planet-earth-iii-is-the-least-offensive-corpo-collab-of-the-year-040438095.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

NASA beamed a video of a cat named Taters from deep space to Earth

In a successful demonstration of new laser communications capabilities, NASA beamed an ultra-high definition video across 19 million miles of space from its Psyche spacecraft to Earth earlier this month. It’s the first time a UHD streaming video has been sent from deep space via laser. The history-making video? A 15-second clip of an orange cat named Taters chasing a laser dot.

The signal from the video, sent on December 11, made it to Earth in 101 seconds from Psyche’s location at the time, which was about 80 times as far as the distance between Earth and the moon. It was uploaded before the mission launched, and sent back home by a flight laser transceiver aboard Psyche at a rate of 267Mbps. The spacecraft, which set off on its journey in October, is on its way to study a metal-rich asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

“Despite transmitting from millions of miles away, it was able to send the video faster than most broadband internet connections,” said Ryan Rogalin, the receiver electronics lead for the project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. “In fact, after receiving the video at Palomar, it was sent to JPL over the internet, and that connection was slower than the signal coming from deep space.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nasa-beamed-a-video-of-a-cat-named-taters-from-deep-space-to-earth-175814869.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Scientists claim they’re the first to transmit space-based solar power to Earth

The idea of solar energy being transmitted from space is not a new one. In 1968, a NASA engineer named Peter Glaser produced the first concept design for a solar-powered satellite. But only now, 55 years later, does it appear scientists have actually carried out a successful experiment. A team of researchers from Caltech announced on Thursday that their space-borne prototype, called the Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD-1), had collected sunlight, converted it into electricity and beamed it to microwave receivers installed on a rooftop on Caltech's Pasadena campus. The experiment also proves that the setup, which launched on January 3, is capable of surviving the trip to space, along with the harsh environment of space itself. 

"To the best of our knowledge, no one has ever demonstrated wireless energy transfer in space even with expensive rigid structures. We are doing it with flexible lightweight structures and with our own integrated circuits. This is a first," said Ali Hajimiri, professor of electrical engineering and medical engineering and co-director of Caltech's Space Solar Power Project (SSPP), in a press release published on Thursday

The experiment — known in full as Microwave Array for Power-transfer Low-orbit Experiment (or MAPLE for short) — is one of three research projects being carried out aboard the SSPD-1. The effort involved two separate receiver arrays and lightweight microwave transmitters with custom chips, according to Caltech. In its press release, the team added that the transmission setup was designed to minimize the amount of fuel needed to send them to space, and that the design also needed to be flexible enough so that the transmitters could be folded up onto a rocket.

Space-based solar power has long been something of a holy grail in the scientific community. Although expensive in its current form, the technology carries the promise of potentially unlimited renewable energy, with solar panels in space able to collect sunlight regardless of the time of day. The use of microwaves to transmit power would also mean that cloud cover wouldn't pose an interference, as Nikkeinotes.

Caltech's Space Solar Power Project (SSSP) is hardly the only team that has been attempting to make space-based solar power a reality. Late last month, a few days before Caltech's announcement, Japan's space agency, JAXA, announced a public-private partnership that aims to send solar power from space by 2025. The leader of that project, a Kyoto University professor, has been working on space-based solar power since 2009. Japan also had a breakthrough of its own nearly a decade ago in 2015, when JAXA scientists transmitted 1.8 kilowatts of power — about enough energy to power an electric kettle — more than 50 meters to a wireless receiver. 

The Space Solar Power Project was founded back in 2011. In addition to MAPLE, the SSPD-1 is being used to assess what types of cells are the most effective in surviving the conditions of space. The third experiment is known as DOLCE (Deployable on-Orbit ultraLight Composite Experiment), a structure measuring six-by-six feet that "demonstrates the architecture, packaging scheme, and deployment mechanisms of the modular spacecraft," according to Caltech. It has not yet been deployed.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/space-based-solar-power-first-successful-experiment-caltech-000046036.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Boeing’s Starliner safely returns to Earth after second test flight

Boeing's Starliner has returned to Earth safely after docking with the International Space Station for the first time. The six-day Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 mission came to an end when the spacecraft landed at the US Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. It's the first American capsule to touch down on land instead of in the ocean. Starliner undocked from the ISS at 2:36PM ET and by 6:05PM, it was firing its thrusters to drop out of orbit. 

The uncrewed Starliner, which took over 800 pounds of equipment to the ISS (including a Kerbal Space Program plush toy), brought back over 600 pounds of cargo. Among the returned items were reusable Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System tanks, which are used to provide air to those on the ISS. They'll be refilled and taken back to the space station later.

The spacecraft's first test flight took place in 2019. While it reached orbit, an automation system issue prevented thrusters from firing, meaning Starliner was unable to dock with the ISS. An attempt at a second test flight last year was scrapped because of a propulsion system valve problem, which led to a nine-month delay. In the interim, SpaceX conducted more crewed trips to the ISS than previously planned. 

After assessing the data from this flight, Boeing will be able to start planning crewed flights that will take astronauts to the space station and bring them back to Earth. The New York Times says NASA will announce the astronauts who'll be flying on Starliner this summer, and the mission could take place before the year ends. 

Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Boeing Commercial Crew Program, said:

"We have had an excellent flight test of a complex system that we expected to learn from along the way and we have With the completion of OFT-2, we will incorporate lessons learned and continue working to prepare for the crewed flight test and NASA certification. Thank you to the NASA and Boeing teammates who have put so much of themselves into Starliner."

Mariella Moon contributed to this story.

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Hitting the Books: How to huck a human into low Earth orbit

Astronauts may get the glory for successful spaceflights but they’d never even get off the ground if not for the folks at Mission Control. In Shuttle, Houston: My Life in the Center Seat of Mission Control, Paul Dye vividly recounts his 20-year caree…
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Track down Carmen Sandiego using Google Earth

If you are a fan of the Carmen Sandiego program on Netflix and love solving puzzles, then this could be the game you’ve been waiting for. Google has introduced The Crown Jewels Caper which is the first in a series of Carmen Sandiego games using Google Earth as the framework. The aim of the game […]

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Flat Earth advocate finally launches his homemade rocket

For years, "Mad" Mike Hughes has not only insisted that the Earth is flat, but has maintained he could prove it by launching himself into space with his own rocket. He even claimed to have launched a homebrew rocket in 2014, but didn't have evidence…
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Apple is issuing its Watch owners an Earth Day fitness challenge

Apple takes the environment pretty seriously, and as part of its Earth Day initiatives, it’s challenging you to go outside for 30 minutes. And if you do so with the Apple Watch, you’ll unlock a series of new iMessage stickers.

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Explore this planet of ours with Google Earth VR, now on Oculus Rift

Google Earth got a massive revamp today, but the search giant also brought its Google Earth VR app to the Oculus store. The experience has been available for the HTC Vive since the end of 2016.

The post Explore this planet of ours with Google Earth VR, now on Oculus Rift appeared first on Digital Trends.

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NASA’s retiring EO-1 satellite changed how we see Earth with these stunning photos

NASA has retired one of its greats — the Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite — but the stunning images of Earth captured during its 17-year mission will live on. Here are 20 of our favorites.

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Weekly Rewind: Insane stunt pilot lady, life beyond Earth, $700 self-driving car

In the tech world, a lot happens in a week. So much news goes on that it’s almost impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of it. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of the top 10 tech stories from this week.

The post Weekly Rewind: Insane stunt pilot lady, life beyond Earth, $ 700 self-driving car appeared first on Digital Trends.

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BBC tests 4K iPlayer with ‘Planet Earth II’

For four glorious minutes, Brits will be able to watch Planet Earth II in 4K. The broadcaster is releasing some "experimental footage" in the ultra HD resolution today, which viewers can watch until "early next year" on a small list of compatible TVs…
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Planet Earth might be the biggest loser under President Trump

Deny it all he wants, Donald Trump did in fact tweet that global warming is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese to damage American manufacturing. But, let's give him the benefit of the doubt and say that since 2012 his opinion on the matter has evolved…
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China’s first space station will fall to Earth, but where will it land?

After six years of service in testing systems for a future larger station, China’s prototype station dubbed “Heavenly Palace” will fall back to Earth sometime in 2017. Where will it land? We don’t know yet.

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A NASA probe is headed to a nearby asteroid, and will bring part of it back to Earth

The OSIRIS-REx mission is heading to the asteroid Bennu, and in July 2020 would scoop up some asteroid dust to be returned to earth three years later. The hope is to understand more about the formation of the solar system.

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With masses of hazardous space junk orbiting Earth, Japan offers a solution

Right now there are countless fragments of space junk orbiting Earth that are big enough to cause serious damage to working satellites or even the ISS. Japan’s space agency is close to testing an innovative solution it hopes can make space safer.

The post With masses of hazardous space junk orbiting Earth, Japan offers a solution appeared first on Digital Trends.

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To save Earth, Jeff Bezos wants to move heavy industry to outer space

To help preserve Earth, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos believes all heavy industry should be moved to space while the globe should be zoned strictly for residential and light industrial uses.

The post To save Earth, Jeff Bezos wants to move heavy industry to outer space appeared first on Digital Trends.

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SpaceX Dragon spacecraft returns to Earth with ‘critical’ cargo

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft returns to Earth from ISS, bringing with it scientific cargo that NASA says will be critical to its planned Journey to Mars.

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Blue Origin’s POV video shows its rocket’s rapid return to Earth

Blue Origin has released a few videos of its New Shephard rocket landings, but this one’s a little different. The team behind the reusable launch system recently attached a camera to the rocket itself and filmed New Shepard’s rapid return to Earth.

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Stunning views of Earth captured by ESA’s Sentinel-3A satellite

The European Space Agency last month expanded its Copernicus program with the launch of its third Sentinel satellite. After a few weeks of early testing, the Earth-observing satellite is starting to phone home with some breathtaking images of its primary subject— the Earth’s surface.

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What does Scott Kelly miss most about Earth after spending over a year on the ISS?

Astronaut Scott Kelly broke the record for the longest time in space this past October, at over a year and counting. He has grown accustomed to life up there, and has become well-known through his posts on Twitter. Kelly and his fellow astronauts receive packages from earth and keep in touch with loved ones via email.

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This little metal cube contains every collectible element on planet Earth

The Element Cube is made from all of the 62 collectible elements on earth. The cube is formed to include these diverse elements through powder metallurgy, so diverse and precious metals can come together in one shape.

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Stories you missed this week: Simulating Mars on Earth, 3D sound, an adorable Droid

It can be challenging to keep track of everything that happens in the tech world. That’s why we have compiled a list of the top 10 tech stories from this week — just for you. We’ve got news from IFA 2015 and much more.

The post Stories you missed this week: Simulating Mars on Earth, 3D sound, an adorable Droid appeared first on Digital Trends.

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Watch the Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day event—live on YouTube on April 18

No matter where you are this Saturday, you can have a front row seat at the Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day event. Tune in to the event live on the Global Citizen YouTube channel to catch performances by No Doubt, Usher, Fall Out Boy, Mary J. Blige, Train, and My Morning Jacket, with special guests Common and D’Banj.

To bring you the latest from the National Mall in D.C., YouTube stars Matthew Santoro (MatthewSantoro) and Yousef Erakat (FouseyTube) will join the Global Citizen hosts, which include UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, U.S. Senator Chris Coons, will.i.am, Soledad O’Brien, Chris Martin, Freida Pinto, and more.


Celebrate the 45th anniversary of Earth Day by joining the largest movement of people taking action to end extreme poverty and stop climate change. It all begins at 11:45 a.m. ET on April 18 on the Global Citizen YouTube channel.

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