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Docking with ISS: The Nasa-SpaceX crew mission that ends US’ launch drought

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Docking with ISS: The Nasa-SpaceX crew mission that ends US’ launch drought

Nine years after the suspension of shuttle missions, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) is now on the cusp of ending its launch drought. The agency is set to blast off two astronauts on a SpaceX flight into orbit. This will be the first instance of the space agency collaborating with a private player on a mission involving astronauts.

 

Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida awaiting their launch, scheduled on May 27. Before leaving for Florida, Hurley said: “It’s an incredible time for Nasa and the space programme as it again launches US crews from Florida, hopefully in just a week from now.”

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The two astronauts are scheduled to take off next Wednesday afternoon atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, bound for the International Space Station (ISS). “On May 27, Nasa will again launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil!” Jim Bridenstine, head of the Nasa, said in a tweet.

NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken ahead of leaving for Kennedy Space Centre. (Source: NASA)

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MEET THE ASTRONAUTS

 

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Dough Hurley: The first Crew Dragon spacecraft commander, Dough Hurley is a retired US Marine Corps Colonel who has previously flown on two spaceflights. He served in the Navy as a fighter pilot and trained to fly on F/A-18 Hornet and became a test-pilot in 1997. He was selected to be an astronaut in the year 2000. Hurley made his first spaceflight in July 2009 as the pilot for STS-127 followed by STS-135 aboard space shuttle Atlantis, the last mission in July 2011.

NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken in the newly designed space suits for the new flight missions. (Source: SpaceX)

 

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Bob Behnken: Robert “Bob” Behnken is a US Air Force Colonel who is on his third trip to the space, having logged over 708 hours into orbit with over 37 hours of spacewalks. He flew into space with STS-123 in 2008 and STS-130 in 2010. Behnken has logged more than 1,500 flight hours and flown 25 different types of aircraft, according to his Nasa biography. He had been selected for the astronaut programme by Nasa in 2000.

 

The end of Nasa’s dependence on Russia

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Should the launch be successful, Nasa will end its dependence on Russia and the use of Soyuz rockets for sending and receiving astronauts into orbit. Since July 2011, when space shuttle Atlantis’ touchdown on the Kennedy Space Centre, the US has relied on Russian Soyuz rockets to send Americans to the ISS. The STS-135 was the 135th and the final mission of the American Space Shuttle programme that launched on July 8, 2011, and landed on July 21, 2011.

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The Falcon-9 rocket being readied for launch. (Source: SpaceX)

 

On April 9, Chris Cassidy became the last Nasa astronaut to fly to the ISS on board a Russian Soyuz rocket that lifted from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with two other cosmonauts on board – Anatoli Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner. According to Forbes, since the retirement of the space shuttle, Nasa has bought flights for its astronauts on Soyuz at a cost of $86 million per seat. In total, 38 Americans have flown on 35 launches since 2011.

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The revolutionary SpaceX

 

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The space shuttle programme was retired four decades after it began service, a prime reason was the high cost of maintenance. With the massive spacecraft comprising over millions of parts, maintenance came at a hefty cost.

Boeing received a $4.2-billion deal to develop a capsule called the CST-100 Starliner. (Source: SpaceX)

 

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Enter SpaceX. The company has been at the forefront of technological advancement under Elon Musk. From the development of reusable rockets to designing the Crew Dragon capsule, the company has grown leaps and bounds. SpaceX was awarded the $2.6-billion project to finish the development of the Crew Dragon-Falcon 9 system by Nasa in 2014, along with Boeing, which received a $4.2-billion deal to develop a capsule called the CST-100 Starliner. SpaceX will fly six operational crewed missions to the ISS under the deal. The Crew Dragon has been into orbit and docked with the ISS on an uncrewed flight called Demo-1 in March 2019. Demo-2 is the crewed mission.

 

Docking to re-entry

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The two Nasa test pilots — Hurley and Behnken — will arrive on the launchpad about three hours before the launch in Tesla Model X Sports Car, ditching the traditional “Astrovan”. They will enter the spacecraft about 2 hours 15 minutes prior to the launch.

 

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The Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled for a liftoff at 4:33 pm EDT (2033 GMT). After 2.5 minutes of the liftoff, SpaceX will perform the first-stage booster separation on the Falcon 9. As the rockets begin their descent, they will land on a drone ship called “Of course, I still love you” stationed in the Atlantic Ocean with a boost-back burn followed by an entry burn.

The astronauts will arrive on the launchpad about three hours before the launch in Tesla Model X Sports Car. (Source: NASA)

 

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Seconds after the Stage-I separation, Stage-II will kick in with an engine burn for about six minutes. The Crew Dragon will separate at this stage and will be on its own into the vastness of space. The spacecraft will then perform a series of phasing manoeuvres to approach and dock with the ISS. The Dragon will have to match the altitude of the ISS, which is placed at about 400 km. The spacecraft is expected to dock with the ISS about 19 hours after the liftoff.

 

A similar procedure will be followed for a re-entry with the Dragon ditching its “trunk” and jettisoning its service module. After entering the Earth’s atmosphere, the heat shields will protect the capsule and the four Mark-3 parachutes will be deployed to slow down before the crew splashes down into the Atlantic off the coast of Florida.

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Falcon-9 during one of its test launches. (Source: SpaceX)

 

While the duration of the mission has not been fixed, it is expected to last between 30 and 120 days, depending on the state of the Dragon capsule.

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(Note: This is a Article Automatically Generated Through Syndication, Here is The Original Source

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Jeff Bezos Lookalike Cagdas Halicilar Enjoys Lavish Lifestyle By Impersonating The Billionaire 

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Jeff Bezos Lookalike Cagdas Halicilar Enjoys Lavish Lifestyle By Impersonating The Billionaire 

A 46-year-old German man, Cagdas Halicilar, is currently the talk of the town as he has emerged on the internet as Jeff Bezos’ lookalike. 

Thus, Cagdas Halicilar has transformed his profession into a professional Jeff Bezos doppleganger from an electrician. 

The 46-year-old reveals that now he lives an opulent lifestyle as an entrepreneur. 

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Cagdas Halicilar was often told by his family and friends that his looks were similar to those of a billionaire. However, only when he saw Jeff Bezos’ picture, did he understand what people around him meant. 

The New York Post reported that Halicilar dreamed of becoming a successful business executive. With him founding CB Transporte, a transport company, he lived his dream. 

After accepting his resemblance to Jeff Bezos, Cagdas Halicilar enrolled himself at a doppelgänger agency. 

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Cagdas Halicilar Gained Popularity by Being Jeff Bezos’ Lookalike

Most of the time, he dressed up in casual attire which made him look more like a billionaire, as Jeff Bezos also dressed up casually. 

Halicilar added, “It doesn’t matter whether I’m wearing a suit or wearing jeans and a polo shirt.”

He added how it requires a bit of effort to maintain his appearance like a billionaire. He shaves his head and applies Nivea cream regularly. The German doppleganger added that he has been doing the same for more than ten years now. 

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The 46-year-old has gained a lot of popularity and recognition over the years for his work as Jeff Bezos’s doppelgänger. His spouse complained that people often stopped him and asked for selfies on the street. 

In the “King of Stonks,” the German Netflix miniseries, he also had a guest spot. 

When in Seattle once, Cagdas Halicilar strolled through the Amazon campus. Surprisingly, Amazon employees thought that he was Jeff Bezos, reported TimesNow.

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He said,

“All the Amazon employees came to me, wanted selfies and thanked me for being proud to work at Amazon.” 

Furthermore, he added,

“My wish is to drink a whiskey with Jeff Bezos on his yacht. He is just as much of a yacht fanatic as I am.”

Also Read: Twitch Streamer Maya Higa Opens Up About Horrific Stalker Incident During Recent Livestream

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Lawsuit Claims Cinemark Shortchanged Customers on Sold Beverages

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Lawsuit Claims Cinemark Shortchanged Customers on Sold Beverages

A North Texas movie-goer has filed a lawsuit over Plano-based Cinemark drink sizes.

The lawsuit alleges that the movie theater chain fleeced its customers by shorting beverages sold in the chain’s canteens.

The chain loudly advertised that the 24-ounce container is a better deal, claiming consumers will get more for less price, while the reality is that Cinemark swindles customers by shortchanging them on sales for the 24-ounce beverage cup.

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Cinemark Accused of Shortchanging Customers on Beverage Sales

The proposed class action lawsuit has been filed in a Texas federal court and it indicts the movie.

The lawsuit further details how consumers got only 22 ounces of liquid, which is the maximum that can be filled in Cinemark’s 24-ounce cups.

It is alleged that the deception was part of a deliberate packaging and pricing practice.

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Also Read: California mother files lawsuit against Tesla after her 2-year-old child starts Model X and runs over her

Theaters pay almost 50% of the revenue generated by ticket sales to the studios but keep all the profits generated by the sales of food and beverage.

Increased competition has pushed the chain to offer concessions and bonuses, and this helped Cinemark in 2023 to record its highest concession sales of all time.

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However, the lawsuit alleges that Cinemark dupes its customers by shortchanging them on sales for the 24-ounce beverage cup instead of the 20-ounce beverage cup.

The reality is that consumers pay less for a 20-ounce cup, which is also a better deal than buying a 24-ounce beverage cup.

The complaint stated,

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“The size of the container in relation to the actual volume of the product contained in it was intended to mislead the consumer into believing the consumer was getting more of the product than what was in the container by a twelfth.”

The lawsuit was brought by Texas resident Shane Waldrop, who purchased a 24-ounce beverage cup in February which cost him $8.80 before tax.

However, on closer look, he realized that the cup was not large enough to hold 24 ounces. This was confirmed later when Shane took the cup home and found that it could contain only 22 ounces of liquid.

Thus, the consumer was duped 2 ounces for every cup he bought.

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The lawsuit charged the movie theater chain with neglectful falsification, deception, unjust profiteering, and a violation of Texas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act and asked for a court order to halt such practices.

Waldrop is seeking compensatory damages and also demanded a jury trial over the claims.

Also Read: Johnson Controls subsidiary Tyco Fire Products to pay $750 mn to settle ‘forever chemicals’ lawsuit

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Mukesh Ambani’s 67th Birthday: How He Built The Reliance Industries

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Mukesh Ambani Birthday

It is Mukesh Ambani’s 67th birthday, and today we will try to get to know about the incredible journey of this man who, with sheer determination and grit, has created one of the biggest conglomerates in the world.

Reliance Industries, which passed into his hands in the 2000s, grew at a pace which was phenomenal.

Born on April 19 to Dhirubhai Ambani and Kokilaben in Aden, Yemen, where his father was based before moving back to India.

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Reliance Industries was already a big company, but its growth after Mukesh Ambani took on the reins was phenomenal.

With astute business acumen and strategic vision, Ambani has propelled Reliance Industries to dizzying heights, making it one of India’s most powerful empires.

It was under his stewardship that Reliance Industries diversified from being a petroleum company to enter other fields like Telecommunication and the Aerospace industry.

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The 5G revolution, which has swept the country, is largely due to the efforts of Mukesh Ambani and his company Jio. Jio offered high-speed and cheap internet services to the farthest corners of the company, and this helped it to capture a major chunk of the telecommunication sector. Today the nation’s population is using internet data in an unprecedented way.

Another diversification move was the entry of Reliance Industries into retail, energy, petrochemicals, and media. Reliance also acquired and invested in Future Group’s retail assets, as well as the creation of JioMart, an e-commerce venture.

Reliance also entered into a partnership with the Indian media company Viacom18 and the American entertainment giant Disney to create a joint venture, valued at $8.5 billion. The venture also gave exclusive rights to Reliance to distribute Disney productions in India.

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It is his futuristic vision which catalyzed Reliance Industries to invest heavily in the renewable energy sector. The company has built solar and wind energy farms and is contributing in a big way to help India achieve its renewable energy targets while lowering carbon emissions and environmental impact.

Again, it is his futuristic views which made him create the Jio Institute, which is a truly world-class educational institution dedicated to cutting-edge research and technical improvement. The stated motto of the institute is to help develop future leaders and innovators who will help the country grow to become a developed nation in the coming decades.

The phenomenal growth and success of Reliance Industry can be attributed to Mukesh’s keen sense to anticipate market trends, evolve as per changing consumer preferences, seize emerging possibilities, and produce products and services of the highest quality.

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As of April 19, 2024, according to Forbes, Mukesh Ambani’s net worth is to the tune of $115.8 billion, and he is ranked one of the top 10 wealthiest people in the world on Forbes magazine’s annual list of billionaires in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

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