Please disable your adblock and script blockers to view this page
May 2020

Editor’s Note: The NASA-SpaceX joint human spaceflight was scheduled for liftoff on Thursday, 28 May, 2.00 am IST (Wednesday, 27 May at 4.32 pm EDT) from the Launch Complex 39A from the Kenndy Space Centre, Florida. However, due to bad weather conditions, they had to cancel the launch. It has now been re-scheduled for 31 May, 12.52 AM IST.

On 27 May, two American astronauts, Robert L. Behnken and Douglas G. Hurley are planning to launch from the Kennedy Space Center on a mission to the International Space Station. If successful, this will mark the first time in nine years that American astronauts will launch into space from American soil. What’s even more remarkable is they will not be launched by NASA but by a private company, SpaceX.

Human spaceflight is incredibly difficult and expensive; the rockets must be reliable and the vehicle must be built with expensive life support systems and a certain level of redundancy. To date, only three countries – Russia, the United States and China – have achieved this feat.

 SpaceX reaches for milestone in human spaceflight – a private company will launch NASA astronauts into orbit

Astronauts Douglas Hurley (left) and Robert Behnken before boarding the Gulfstream jet that will carry them to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Image credit: NASA/James Blair

As a space policy expert, I find it hard to overstate the significance for both SpaceX and spaceflight in general. For SpaceX, it’s another step on their road to Mars, but more generally, it demonstrates that spaceflight need not be reserved for only the most powerful of states.

A dream and an opening

In many ways, SpaceX’s achievement is due not only to technological advances, but opportunity brought about by disaster. The breakup of the space shuttle Columbia in 2003 led the Bush administration to decide to end the shuttle program by 2010. They directed NASA to develop a replacement, Project Constellation, but due to budget cuts and other problems, NASA failed to make significant progress. As a result, in 2010, the Obama administration directed NASA to refocus its efforts on deep space missions and rely on private companies to provide access to the ISS and low Earth orbit.

Enter SpaceX. Dreaming of colonization of Mars but frustrated with the slow pace at which it was coming, Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002. To get to Mars, he decided that spaceflight would first need to be made cheaper. His philosophy was to devise a rocket system that could be used again and again with minimal refurbishment between flights. Over the next decade, SpaceX designed, built and tested its Falcon series of rockets. It signed contracts with NASA to provide cargo services to the ISS and with other companies and the US military to provide general launch services. Perhaps most importantly, SpaceX has demonstrated that its rockets can be reused, with the core stages flying their way back to Earth to land themselves.

The 2010 shift in American space policy gave SpaceX an opportunity to build on its early successes. By 2014, both SpaceX and Boeing were given contracts from NASA to provide commercial crew launch services. And it appears, so far, that SpaceX has made good on its promise of reducing the cost of human spaceflight. Compared to an average space shuttle mission that cost US$1.6 billion, NASA is paying only $55 million per seat for SpaceX’s upcoming ISS flights.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is designed to carry up to seven passengers. Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is designed to carry up to seven passengers. Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Tourists in space?

This massive reduction in cost made possible through reusable rockets is contributing to several developments in spaceflight. First, it provides NASA a means of access to the ISS without relying on the Russian Soyuz. Since 2011, the US has been paying Russia upwards of $86 million per seat for flights to the space station.

Second, with SpaceX and Boeing providing access to the ISS, NASA can concentrate on Project Artemis, which intends to return humans to the Moon by 2024. They are also leveraging new commercial capabilities from SpaceX, Blue Origin and others to further reduce costs to get there.

If SpaceX is successful, it could also mean the opening of space to tourism. Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are planning to offer brief suborbital launches that don’t enter Earth orbit. SpaceX, on the other hand, is already signing up passengers for several-day trips to space at $35 million a seat. Even Tom Cruise is looking to fly on SpaceX and film a movie aboard the ISS. While space companies have long predicted opportunities for space tourism, SpaceX’s Dragon brings that possibility closer to reality.

More broadly, adding tourists to the mix in low Earth orbit may even help make space safer. Debris in orbit is a growing problem, along with increasing tensions between the US, China and Russia in space. Both of those things make operating in space more difficult, dangerous and costlier.

For the space economy to really take off, countries will need to put in place regulations that ensure safety and reliability in several areas, including vehicle safety and debris mitigation. And, as I suggest in my new book, having more humans in space might force countries to think twice before taking potentially dangerous actions in space. While orbital space tourism might still be far off for the average American, SpaceX’s crew launch brings us closer to the day when an extraordinary event is a normal occurrence.

Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, US Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.

Google Maps is introducing a new feature that will allow users to share their location in a short alphanumerical format when they simply can’t find an address. The feature named Plus Code is being rolled out to Android users.

The search-engine giant claims that more than two billion people either don’t have an address or have one that isn’t easy to locate. To help people tide over this challenge, the company launched Plus Codes in 2015. But, the feature does not seem to have been used by many as of now. The company is now providing an easier way to share Plus Code.

 Google Maps rolls out new feature on Android to make it easier to share location without an address

Representational image. Getty Images

The location appeared using the update will “look like a regular address, but with a short code where a street name or number would be.”

To use this feature, one will have to simply tap on one’s blue location dot within Google Maps. Following which, a Plus Code will be generated and users will get the option to share or save the location.

These codes are searchable on Google Maps and even Google Search. They can even be printed on paper, posters and signs. This update is free to use and available offline.

Plus Code can also be obtained for a separate location. For this, one needs to tap and hold on a place in the map to drop a pin.

The technology behind the code is open source, allowing developers to implement it into their own apps for free.

The update will help people and organizations in emergency and crisis response scenarios.

According to The VergePlus Code is not the only feature that let people share location easily, but What3Words also offer this facility. It displays its digital addresses in the form of three words separated by periods.

What3Words is compatible with different mapping service, but its digital addresses can’t be entered directly into Google Maps.

Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.

It was supposed to be a day of pride and joy for the Americans, who had not launched any of their astronauts into space for the last nine years. There were crowds gathered at what has been called the Florida space coast, and even the thought of potential infection by the novel coronavirus could not dampen their spirit. Even the pouring rain did not affect the faithful.

With under 17 minutes to go for liftoff, NASA and SpaceX announced that the first joint commercial human spaceflight mission would be ‘scrubbed’, or called off due to inclement weather. Both the space agency and the private aerospace company had mentioned that there was a possibility of the launch being postponed. An anti-climatic ending for what was going to be a momentous moment for America, since the Space Shuttle program was cancelled back in 2011.

 SpaceX-NASA mission: A breakdown on rocket, crew capsule, astronauts, launch sequence

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A during preparations for the Demo-2 mission. Image credit; NASA

Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken will make the trip to the International Space Station on this milestone flight. NASA and SpaceX have rescheduled the launch to take place on Sunday, 31 May, 12.52 pm IST (May 30 at 3:22 p.m. EDT) from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida. This was also the launch site for the previous Apollo and Space Shuttle missions and is being leased by SpaceX. It also has another back-up date on Monday, 1 June, 12.30 am IST (Sunday, May 31 at 3:00 p.m. EDT). Live coverage of the event will begin at 8.30 pm IST on 30 May, four hours before the launch is to take place. 

The lift-off of the Falcon 9 has to be timed precisely to reach the space station, which is flying overhead 400 km above Earth at 17,500 mph. The spacecraft and crew have a launch window of one second (instantaneous launch window). If they miss it, the team will have to attempt it on another day.

However, even the second time around, the weather does not seem to be letting up. The Associated Press reported that “forecasters put the odds of acceptable weather conditions on Saturday (Sunday in India) at 50-50, with the outlook improving to 60 percent favourable on Sunday (Monday in India). Rain and clouds were the main concerns for both days.”

NASA chief Jim Bridenstine, during a press conference, expressed concern that the cancellations could be hard on the astronauts and the launch team. Hurley, however, tweeted on Friday that his first shuttle flight was scrubbed five times for weather and technical issues. Astronauts are no strangers to the possibility of cancelled flights. Safety first, always. 

Here’s a look at the components that makes up the SpaceX/NASA launch:

Crew Dragon

The Crew Dragon is the modified version of the Cargo Dragon that SpaceX has been using during its re-supply missions to the ISS, since 2008. During the wet rehearsal on Thursday, one of the SpaceX experts said that to make the cargo dragon suitable for human beings, they only needed to add seats, displays and controls. The Cargo Dragon was already flying mice to the ISS for science experiments, so life support and environment control was already installed. They did have to bump it up a bit to ensure it could support humans. They also, for practical purposes, had to remove the ‘cargo cubies’ to make room for the astronauts. 

Reusability is SpaceX’s MO, and the capsule follows in these footsteps. Partially. The capsule can last upto 10 flights before it needs a bit of elbow grease to be functional again. The spacecraft launches atop the Falcon 9 rocket and returns to Earth by splashing down in the ocean. Unlike its predecessor, the spacecraft can automatically dock itself to the ISS (Cargo Dragon needs to be manually berthed to the ISS) but the astronauts can take manual control if they want to enjoy the process of flying the capsule or in case of emergencies. 

The Crew Dragon is the modified version of the Cargo Dragon that SpaceX has been using during its re-supply missions to the ISS.

The Crew Dragon is the modified version of the Cargo Dragon that SpaceX has been using during its re-supply missions to the ISS.

The capsule carries its cargo in its trunk and one half of it is covered in solar panels, which will power the Dragon during its flight and when it is docked at the ISS. The trunk provides support to the capsule during ascent but will separate before it re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.

In April 2019, a crew capsule was destroyed during a static fire testing. This caused some questions to be raised with regard to the safety of the capsule. However, the test was repeated in November 2019 without any incident.

The capsule also has an in-flight abort facility that will take its occupants to safety in case something goes wrong. During a test conducted in January 2020, an emergency like the situation was created and the Dragon successfully used its 8 SuperDracos abort engines to push itself and its trunk away from the Falcon 9, as intended. 

There were several tests that needed to be done to ensure that NASA signed off on allowing its astronauts to travel by the Crew Dragon, however, we will be focusing on the two important ones.

Demo 1

On 2 March 2019, SpaceX’s Dragon capsule was launched, and on 8 March 2019, it completed its first unmanned flight test by docking to the ISS and returning to Earth after a five-day mission. This mission was called Demo 1. This was the first spacecraft that was built, operated and launched by SpaceX that was meant to charter human beings through space. It was also the first crew capsule that docked at the ISS on its own. The capsule can accommodate up to seven astronauts but will only carry 3-4 astronauts for NASA launches. For this test, it carried 200 kilograms of supplies and gear. During its stay, US astronaut Anne McClain and Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques ran tests and inspected the Crew Dragon’s cabin.

The Crew Demo-1 Mission. Image credit: SpaceX/Flickr

The Crew Demo-1 Mission. Image credit: SpaceX/Flickr

Since this mission was supposed to test the safety of the capsule, SpaceX couldn’t possibly have an actual human sitting inside. So the team did the next best thing: they put in a test dummy that’s named after and looks identical to Eileen Ripley from the Alien films. Dummy Ripley also wore the same white SpaceX spacesuit that astronauts are supposed to wear during their missions. Ripley is similar to Starman, the dummy that sat in the front seat of a red Tesla convertible, which blasted off last year during a test launch of the company’s bigger Falcon Heavy rocket. 

Demo 2

After a successful first trial mission, the upcoming mission to the ISS has been termed ‘Demo 2’ and will carry the two astronauts — Hurley and Behnken. 

After a not-so breezy start on Thursday, this mission has been rescheduled for Sunday, 12.52 pm IST. Fans and the team really want this launch to happen. A lot is riding on Demo 2 making a good first impression with living astronauts onboard. If all goes well, NASA will approve SpaceX to carry other astronauts to the ISS, along with the commercial re-supply runs it has been making since 2008. This will halt NASA’s dependence on the expensive Russian Soyuz program, and will be more cost-effective in the long run as well. One seat on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 costs around $ 55 million, as compared to the $86 million per seat that NASA pays Russia to ferry its astronauts. It will also mean that SpaceX is one step closer to going to Mars, and beyond. 

NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley stand near the cargo dragon. Image credit: NASA

NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley stand near the cargo dragon. Image credit: NASA

The actual duration of this trip has not yet been decided, and a call will be made once the capsule reaches the space station. Initially, NASA had said that the astronauts will stay at the ISS for a week. A few days before the launch, NASA made the decision to extend their stay to for anywhere between one to four months. Currently, the ISS is understaffed, and their longer stay will mean that the two American astronauts can help man the station. It will also give them a chance to help swap out the station’s batteries, a task that requires a spacewalk that Chris Cassidy cannot do alone. 

According to a NASA blog, the Crew Dragon can stay in orbit for 110 days but NASA requirements state that it needs to be able to stay at the ISS for 210 days. NASA has also bought one seat on the Soyuz rocket for $90 million to ensure that the station will have enough US presence. 

Falcon 9 rocket

The name Falcon 9 is derived from the Millennium Falcon, a spaceship from the movie Star Wars. It is a partially-reusable two-stage-to-orbit launch vehicle. The first stage is capable of re-entering the atmosphere and landing vertically after separating from the second stage, which has a single Merlin Vacuum Engine to deliver its payloads to whichever orbit is required. The second stage engine can be restarted multiple times to deliver multiple payloads into different orbits. The first stage is powered by nine Merlin engines that use liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene as propellants. 

The Spacex Falcon 9 stands upright before its launch. Image credit: Twitter/NASA

The Spacex Falcon 9 stands upright before its launch. Image credit: Twitter/NASA

A two-stage-to-orbit or two-stage rocket launch vehicle is a spacecraft in which two distinct stages provide propulsion consecutively in order to achieve orbital velocity.

SpaceX successfully landed its first stage during its 20th flight in December 2015. They have also been recovering its payload fairing — that houses satellites — to re-use on future missions

In 2018, SpaceX introduced the Falcon Heavy version that could carry heavier payloads and used two normal Falcon 9 first stages as side boosters to propel it ahead. 

About the astronauts 

Hurley and Behnken have extensive experience in space and have been involved in NASA’s Space Shuttle flights.

Behnken will be the joint operations commander in this mission and was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2000. He has completed two space shuttle flights — STS-123 in March 2008 and STS-130 in February 2010 — and performed three spacewalks during each mission.

Astronauts Bok and Dough during the SpaceX InFlight Abort Dry Dress Rehearsal.

Astronauts Bok and Dough during the SpaceX InFlight Abort Dry Dress Rehearsal.

Hurley was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2000 and will be the spacecraft commander for Demo 2. He has completed two spaceflights – STS‐127 in July 2009 and STS‐135 — the final space shuttle mission — in July 2011. He was the pilot and lead robotics operator for both missions.

What can we expect to see during the LIVE broadcast 

Pre-launch

During the Space Shuttle era, astronauts would travel in an Astro-van which both Hurley and Behnken would’ve travelled in since they were both part of this program. But this time around they will arrive in style with their cool, matchy-matchy, custom-made, astronaut suits and travel in a Tesla Model X sports cars to the Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Centre after waving goodbye to their families from a distance. The number plates, during the wet rehearsal, read ‘ISS BND’. 

The Tesla Model X sports cars that was used to transport the astronauts to the Launch pad 39A.

The Tesla Model X sports cars that was used to transport the astronauts to the Launchpad 39A. Image credit: NASA/Flickr

They will walk down the Astro arm that connects to the capsule and the launch team that will help them get strapped in. Soon the communication checks then begin with the ground team to ensure that the astronauts are in constant touch in the event of an emergency.

After the hatch is closed, fueling begins. Unlike other rockets, SpaceX’s rockets are fueled only after the astronauts are inside the capsule. SpaceX makes their own rules, but they have some logic behind this dicey method. The Verge reports that SpaceX uses extremely cold propellants, which gives the vehicle a performance boost. By loading the fuel just half an hour before launch, the fuel has less time to heat up and boil away. 

Launch 

If the weather is on their side, they will get the all-clear from the mission director and the countdown to launch will begin. SpaceX will become the first private company to send astronauts to space this Sunday. However, the mission can be cancelled at the last moment as it happened on Thursday.

About 2.5 minutes after liftoff, the first stage booster will detach from the rocket and return to Earth. It will land on SpaceX’s drone ship called “Of Course I Still Love You” that is stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Florida.

Following the first stage, the second stage will also detach from the Crew Dragon capsule. Unlike the first stage, this will not directly return to Earth and SpaceX will not be spending any of its resources to make it reusable. 

Post-launch

The Dragon will then orbit the Earth and undertake a series of what are known as ‘phasing burns’ i.e. re-ignite its engines to propel it to the next level in order to play catch-up with the ISS, that is travelling at a speed of 7.66 km/s. 

Dragon is supposed to automatically dock with the ISS after 19 hours of raising its altitude to match that of the ISS. The astronauts will have a sort of a welcoming ceremony waiting for them.

Hurley and Behnken will stay on the ISS for anywhere between one to four months doing science experiments and helping in the upkeep of the station. 

Once NASA deems it is a good time to return, the astronauts will then begin their journey back home. They will strap in and undock from the ISS.

Before it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere, the Crew Dragon will lose its trunk. This, like the second stage, will not be returning to Earth.

The re-entry of the dragon will look somewhat scary, like a ball of fire but the heat-shields will ensure no harm comes to the astronauts.

Four Mark 3 Parachutes will be deployed that will slow down the entry of the vehicle, and Dragon will splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. The astronauts will be fished out of the water along with the Dragon capsule, which will be inspected at the Cape Canaveral facility in Florida. 

Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.

New Delhi: The government has ordered internet service providers to block computer file sharing website WeTransfer on request of the Delhi Police due to security reasons.

The order issued by the Department of Telecom on 18 May directed all ISP to block two download links on Dutch website WeTransfer and also the entire website www.wetransfer.com.

 Govt blocks Dutch file sharing website WeTransfer.com; Delhi Police had requested ban due to security reasons

“Delhi Police had requested the IT ministry to block two download links and the entire We Transfer website immediately. Following which orders were issued to the website and links suggested by the Delhi Police,” an official source told PTI.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) asked the DoT to direct internet service providers to block the website.

“The compliance be submitted immediately failing which shall inter-alia invite initiation of actions under licence conditions,” the DoT order e-mailed to several ISPs said.

Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.

It’s a Go!

After a failed first attempt, it seems that second time is a charm for SpaceX-NASA joint human space mission. The Crew Dragon was launched atop the Falcon 9 rocket and this is a test flight called Demonstration 2 or Demo 2.

After a nine-year drought, since Space Shuttle program was shut down in 2011, NASA has finally launched its own astronauts from American soil with the help of its public-private partnership with SpaceX.

 NASA-SpaceX ends a nine-year launch drought in the US by successfully launching two astronauts today

The SpaceX Falcon 9 launches from the Launch Complex 39A from the Kenndy Space Centre, Image credit: NASA/Youtube

The NASA-SpaceX joint human spaceflight was scheduled for liftoff on Thursday, 28 May, 2.00 am IST (Wednesday, 27 May at 4.32 pm EDT) from the Launch Complex 39A from the Kenndy Space Centre, Florida which was also the launch site for the previous Apollo and Space Shuttle missions and was leased by SpaceX. Due to bad weather, the launch had to be rescheduled on Sunday, 31 May, 12.52 am IST (May 30 at 3:22 p.m. EDT).

Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are on their to the International Space Station and will dock automatically around 7.00 pm IST, 19 hours after the lift-off.

There were a lot of doubts if the launch was going to happen today as the weather seems pretty similar to Thursday – cloudy with some rain and chances of lightning. However, 45 minutes before the launch, mission director gave the team the all-clear for the launch and 10 minutes later the propellant was being loaded into the two-stage rocket.

President Donald Trump and Vice President Michael Pence also present for the launch like they were for the wet rehearsal as well. Space.com reports that Trump told reporters ‘that he felt an obligation as president to watch the historic liftoff.’

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX was surprisingly missing. Thursday, Musk was seen talking to the astronauts after they suited up in the crew quarters, he was also seen standing with Pence and Bridenstine at the behind exit when the astronauts were leaving the building. He even has a couple of interviews with NASA chief Jim Bridenstine. However, this time around Musk had been replaced with former astronaut and current Director of Kennedy Space Center, Bob Cabana and Jim Morhard, Deputy Administrator at NASA.

Post-launch sequence

About 2.5 minutes after liftoff, the first stage booster will detach from the rocket and return to Earth. It will land on SpaceX’s drone ship called “Of Course I Still Love You” that is stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Florida. Following that, the second stage will also detach from the Crew Dragon capsule.

The Dragon will then orbit the Earth and undertake a series of what are known as ‘phasing burns’ i.e. re-ignite its engines to propel it to the next level in order to play catch-up with the ISS, that is travelling at a speed of 7.66 km/s.

Dragon is supposed to automatically dock with the ISS after 19 hours of raising its altitude to match that of the ISS. The astronauts will have a sort of a welcoming ceremony waiting for them.

Hurley and Behnken will stay on the ISS for anywhere between one to four months doing science experiments and helping in the upkeep of the station.

Once NASA deems it is a good time to return, the astronauts will then begin their journey back home. They will strap in and undock from the ISS.

Before it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere, the Crew Dragon will lose its trunk. This, like the second stage, will not be returning to Earth.

The re-entry of the dragon will look somewhat scary, like a ball of fire but the heat-shields will ensure no harm comes to the astronauts.

Four Mark 3 Parachutes will be deployed that will slow down the entry of the vehicle, and Dragon will splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. The astronauts will be fished out of the water along with the Dragon capsule, which will be inspected at the Cape Canaveral facility in Florida.

Mission Background

Hurley, 53 and Behnken, 49 have extensive experience in space and have been involved in NASA’s Space Shuttle flights.

Behnken will be the joint operations commander in this mission and was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2000. He has completed two space shuttle flights – STS-123 in March 2008 and STS-130 in February 2010 and performed three spacewalks during each mission.

Hurley was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2000 and will be the spacecraft commander for Demo-2. He has completed two spaceflights – STS‐127 in July 2009 and STS‐135, the final space shuttle mission, in July 2011. He was the pilot and lead robotics operator for both missions.

Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley stand on the launch pad before they enter the Crew Dragon capsule. Image credit: NASA/Youtube

Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley stand on the launch pad before they enter the Crew Dragon capsule. Image credit: NASA/Youtube

NASA awarded two commercial crew program contracts in 2014 NASA and Boeing to develop a spacecraft that will be able to carry people to space by 2017 – Boeing got $ 4.2 billion for its Starliner capsule and SpaceX got $2.6 billion for Crew Dragon. The Demo-2 mission is almost three years behind schedule for this launch.

Crew Dragon is capable of carrying up to seven passengers to and from Earth orbit, and beyond but will only be carrying four passengers during NASA human spaceflight launches. The capsule is about three metres in diameter and eight metres high and can carry 6,000 kgs. Before it was modified to carry human beings, SpaceX was using the Dragon as a cargo carrier, for resupply missions to the ISS.

Like the rocket and crew capsule, even the astronaut suits were designed and produced in-house and is custom made to fit ever astronaut that will travel in Crew Dragon. The suits include a 3D-printed helmet and touchscreen-compatible gloves and is an integral part of the mission. It provides oxygen for the astronauts to breathe and also helps them in communicating with the ground team.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is a partially-reusable two-stage-to-orbit launch vehicle. Its first stage is capable of re-entering the atmosphere and landing vertically after separating from the second stage, which is why it is partially re-usable. SpaceX successfully landed its first stage during its 20th flight in December 2015. The second stage of the rocket has a single-engine that can deliver its payload to whichever orbit is required. The engine can be restarted multiple times to deliver multiple payloads into different orbits. A two-stage-to-orbit or two-stage rocket launch vehicle is a spacecraft in which two distinct stages provide propulsion consecutively in order to achieve orbital velocity.

Demo-2 is supposed to be the final test for SpaceX’s human spaceflight system before it can be certified by NASA for operational crew missions to and from the International Space Station. This mission will also lay the groundwork for all their future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. This test flight will serve as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceX’s crew transportation system.

Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.

Editor’s Note: The NASA-SpaceX joint human spaceflight was scheduled for liftoff on Thursday, 28 May, 2.00 am IST (Wednesday, 27 May at 4.32 pm EDT) from the Launch Complex 39A from the Kenndy Space Centre, Florida. However, due to bad weather conditions, they had to cancel the launch. It has now been re-scheduled for 31 May, 12.52 AM IST.

Michael Bay, the director of the 1998 cosmic disaster movie “Armageddon,” once gave an interview discussing the worst crisis in the making of the film.

“Three weeks before our first day of principal photography, I went to see the spacesuits,” Bay said. “They looked like an Adidas jogging suit on a rack. That’s where I almost killed myself.” Because, he said, if you don’t have “cool” spacesuits, the whole movie is sunk.

Apparently, Elon Musk subscribes to the same school of thought.

Or so it seems, judging from the white-and-black launch and re-entry suits astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley will wear when they hop into their white-and-black Tesla and ride to the Cape Canaveral launchpad to climb into the white-and-black SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule for the maiden voyage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station.

 Superhero spacesuits: Elon Musk’s SpaceX astronaut suit is like a Tuxedo for the Starship Enterprise

NASA astronaut Bob Behnken simulates a Crew Dragon launch at SpaceX headquarters. Image: NASA

After all, when it comes to capturing the public imagination around space travel, style matters.

“Suits are the charismatic mammals of space hardware,” said Cathleen Lewis, the curator of international space programs and spacesuits at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. “They evoke the human experience.”

Actually, what the SpaceX suits evoke most of all is James Bond’s tuxedo if it were redesigned by Tony Stark as an upgrade for James T. Kirk’s next big adventure. Streamlined, graphic and articulated, the suits are more a part of the pop-culture-Comic-Con continuum of space style than the NASA continuum.

It’s little wonder, given that the prototype was created by Jose Fernandez, a costume designer who worked on “Batman v Superman,” “The Fantastic Four,” “The Avengers,” “X-Men II” and — well, you get the idea. As Bay said apropos of his “Armageddon” experience: “There are people around Hollywood that are expert designers, there are expert spacesuit helmet designers. It’s a very specialized craft.”

Musk simply went to that source rather than to the usual Air Force and Navy contractors, although when Fernandez was first contacted, he told Bleep magazine in 2016, “I didn’t know what SpaceX was.”

Invited to be one of six to try out for the job, Fernandez created a helmet (he had only two weeks) and ended up working with Musk for six months to design the suit, which was later reverse engineered to meet space travel requirements. The tuxedo associations are not an accident.

Fernandez told Bleep that during the design process, Musk “kept saying, ‘Anyone looks better in a tux, no matter what size or shape they are.’” The goal, Fernandez said, was to have the astronauts put the suit on and “look better than they did without it, like a tux.”

astronauts Doug Hurley, left, and Robert Behnken pose in front of a Tesla Model X at a SpaceX launch dress rehearsal, at Kennedy Space Center Image credit: AP

astronauts Doug Hurley, left, and Robert Behnken pose in front of a Tesla Model X at a SpaceX launch dress rehearsal, at Kennedy Space Center Image credit: AP

The space program has always understood the use of visual cues, Lewis said. The Mercury suits were originally a standard Air Force green until someone painted them silver. And although there are, she said, “a lot of theories as to why,” including that the silver was reflective and made the astronauts more visible, “the most likely conclusion is it looked new and high tech.” Musk is taking that insight to a new level.

The results tap into the romance and mythology of space — the “to boldly go where no one has gone before” promise — rather than serve as an awkward reminder of tiny individuals adrift in an environment where they clearly don’t belong, as represented by the inflated Michelin Man profile of the classic spacesuits. Think of the big white ones worn by the Apollo crew for the original moon shots.

Even Boeing’s new cobalt blue Starliner suits, although sleeker than the orange ones of the Discovery launch in 2011, known as “pumpkin suits,” have the same general profile.

By contrast, the SpaceX suits speak to the traditions of the fashion industry, the way designers like Courrèges and Paco Rabanne embodied space travel in the 1960s, the time of “Barbarella,” when it was all body-con physicality and optimism.

But most of all they connect to the Hollywood tradition of the idealized human warrior body, often with exaggerated shoulders and a carapace of articulated musculature, not the high-altitude pilot’s suit that formed the basis of most previous launch suits, Lewis said.

The Musk suits have darker panels down the sides to visually taper and mould the torso, squared-off shoulder lines, aerodynamic seams from collarbone to the knee and matching knee-high superhero boots. They do not have the dangling hoses, knobs and wires of the traditional suits.

The SpaceX suits can do this partly because they are not meant for use outside the spaceship and thus do not need to be what Lewis calls “personal spaceships” equipped with an oxygen supply, cooling system and communications capabilities.

And unlike most past suits, which were designed to be comfortable for an astronaut strapped into a couch and often looked baggy and hunchbacked when vertical, the SpaceX suits look as neat standing up as they do reclining.

They also fulfil the myriad and demanding technical requirements of what is an entirely functional garment. A spacesuit is a piece of hardware that must connect to the ship, not just colour coordinate with it. That is what distinguishes the suits as an Elon Musk production.

“As long as space travel was being subsidized by governments, there was no need to make the suits attractive, as the astronauts’ safety was the sole concern,” Gary Westfahl, the author of “The Spacesuit Film: A History, 1918-1969,” wrote in an email. “Yet, if space travel is going to become an activity of private companies seeking profits, they have a natural interest in making their astronauts seem attractive.”

NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley, left, and Robert Behnken, wearing matchy-matchy SpaceX spacesuits, are seen as they depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Complex 39A . Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley, left, and Robert Behnken, wearing matchy-matchy SpaceX spacesuits, are seen as they depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Complex 39A . Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

(There’s a reason Richard Branson hooked up with Under Armour when he was looking for a designer for his Virgin Galactic uniforms, which are aesthetically somewhere between the NASA past and the SpaceX present.)

Like Steve Jobs before him, Musk has long prioritized the importance of design in technology. In 2016, he told the startup incubator Y Combinator that he spent about 80% of his time on engineering and design.

He understands that the look of something is part of the story it tells. It can create an emotional connection that translates into market power, as well as subliminal recognition of a group that comes from a shared identifiable style.

This is an insight borrowed from the fashion world, a sector Musk flirted with for a while: He used the Met Gala in 2018 to unveil his relationship with the musician Grimes and was profiled in Vogue in 2015 (with a photo of him in a spacesuit). And he is not the only Musk involved in fashion: His mother, Maye Musk, is a very successful model.

“It’s smart branding because it signals we are starting a new age,” said Lewis, who is hoping to acquire a SpaceX suit to add to the 278 spacesuits, prototypes and suit pieces already in the Smithsonian’s collection. It is the age of commercialized spaceflight, with all the brand extension opportunities that imply.

Indeed, what the SpaceX suits may represent above all is the ultimate in that previously dismissed initiative: wearable technology. We just have to see what Jeff Bezos comes up with for Blue Origin.

Vanessa Friedman c.2020 The New York Times Company

Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.

Editor’s Note: The NASA-SpaceX joint human spaceflight was scheduled for liftoff on Thursday, 28 May, 2.00 am IST (Wednesday, 27 May at 4.32 pm EDT) from the Launch Complex 39A from the Kenndy Space Centre, Florida. However, due to bad weather conditions, they had to cancel the launch. It has now been re-scheduled for 31 May, 12.52 AM IST.

The first astronauts launched by SpaceX are breaking new ground for style with hip spacesuits, gull-wing Tesla’s and a sleek rocketship — all of it white with black trim.

The colour-coordinating is thanks to Elon Musk, the driving force behind both SpaceX and Tesla, and a big fan of flash and science fiction.

NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken like the fresh new look. They’ll catch a ride to the launch pad in a Tesla Model X electric car.

(Also read: Elon Musk’s SpaceX raises USD 346 million in funding ahead of its debut astronaut mission)

 What do we know spacex’s astronaut suits and the vehicle they use to travel to the launchpad; launch on Sunday, 31 May, 12.52 am IST

astronauts Doug Hurley, left, and Robert Behnken pose in front of a Tesla Model X at a SpaceX launch dress rehearsal, at Kennedy Space Center Image credit: AP

“It is really neat, and I think the biggest testament to that is my 10-year-old son telling me how cool I am now,” Hurley told The Associated Press.

“SpaceX has gone all out” on the capsule’s appearance, he said. “And they’ve worked equally as hard to make the innards and the displays and everything else in the vehicle work to perfection.”

The true test comes Wednesday when Hurley and Behnken climb aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and, equipment and weather permitting, shoot into space. It will be the first astronaut launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center since the last shuttle flight in 2011.

It will also mark the first attempt by a private company to send astronauts into orbit. Only governments — Russia, the US, and China — have done that.

The historic send-off deserves to look good, according to SpaceX. It already has a nice ring. Musk named his rocket after the “Star Wars” Millennium Falcon. The capsule name stems from “Puff the Magic Dragon,” Musk’s jab at all the doubters when he started SpaceX in 2002.

SpaceX designed and built its own suits, which are custom-fit. Safety came first. The cool — or wow — factor was a close second.

“It’s important that the suits are comfortable and also are inspiring,” explained SpaceX’s Benji Reed, a mission director. “But above all, it’s designed to keep the crew safe.”

The bulky, orange ascent and entry suits are worn by shuttle astronauts had their own attraction, according to Behnken, who like Hurley wore them for his two previous missions. Movies like Armageddon and Space Cowboys stole the orange look whenever actors were “trying to pretend to be astronauts.”

On launch day, Hurley and Behnken will get ready inside Kennedy’s remodelled crew quarters, which dates back to the two-man Gemini missions of the mid-1960s. SpaceX techs will help the astronauts into their one-piece, two-layer pressure suits.

Hurley and Behnken will emerge through the same double doors used on 16 July 1969, by Apollo 11′s Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins — the Operations and Checkout Building now bear Armstrong’s name.

But instead of the traditional Astrovan, the two will climb into the back seat of a Tesla Model X for the nine-mile ride to Launch Complex 39A, the same pad used by the moonmen and most shuttle crews. It’s while they board the Tesla that they’ll see their wives and young sons for the last time before the flight.

Making a comeback after three decades is NASA’s worm logo — wavy, futuristic-looking red letters spelling NASA, the “A” resembling rocket nose cones. The worm adorns the Astro-Tesla, Falcon and even the astronauts’ suits, along with NASA’s original blue meatball-shaped logo.

The white-suited Hurley and Behnken will transfer from the white Tesla to the white Dragon atop the equally white Falcon 9.

“It’s going to be quite a show,” Reed promised.

Also Read: Looking at the journey of how NASA and its astronauts became one of SpaceX’s biggest customers

Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.

Xiaomi may soon offer competition to tech companies like HP, Dell, Lenovo and Acer that have dominated the laptop market in India. The Chinese tech-company has teased on social media that its Mi Notebooks will soon be launched in India. However, no other details have been revealed by the company.

The company tweeted, “Hey there  @Dell_IN, @Acer_India, @HPIndia, @Lenovo_in, @ASUSIndia. We guess it’s time to say, Hello!”

 Xiaomi hints that it might soon unveil Mi Notebooks in India

Representational image: Reuters

Yesterday, Xiaomi India’s managing director Manu Kumar Jain put out a video on the micro-blogging site, dropping a hint about the launch of Mi’s new products.

Jain on Twitter said, “Mi fans, you have waited and waited and waited. And now, IT’s TIME! RT with #WhatsNextFromMi if you know what’s coming?”

Xiaomi introduced it’s first-ever laptop line, the Mi Notebook Air, running on Windows 10 in 2016. It was unveiled in two sizes – the powerful 13.3-inch and the portable 12.5-inch. Its top-spec model at that time came at a price of CNY 4,999 (approx Rs 53,000).

The company has recently launched a number of products in India. Earlier this month, it unveiled 108 MP camera smartphone, Mi 10, and two IoT products – Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 and Mi Box 4K.

Xiaomi’s Mi 10 is available in two storage variants – 8 GB RAM + 128 GB and 8 GB RAM + 256 GB. The 128 GB model is priced at Rs 49,999, while the 256 GB variant comes at a cost of Rs 54,999.

Mi Box 4K can be bought at Rs 3,499, while Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 are priced at Rs 4,499.

Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.

In late February, I fell ill with a fever and a cough. As a biochemist who teaches a class on viruses, I’d been tracking the outbreak of COVID-19 in China. Inevitably I wondered: Did I have COVID-19, or did I have the flu?

At the time, COVID-19 testing was very restricted but I knew I could get quickly tested for the flu. I drove myself to an urgent care clinic, the nurse easily checked my temperature and took a throat swab and 30 minutes later I got the results: positive for influenza.

The flu test I took is a type of viral screening called a rapid antigen test that looks for viral proteins. For the flu, these antigen tests are easy to administer, decently accurate and give results almost immediately.

Widespread testing for SARS–CoV–2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is critical to knowing if, when and how people can start to return to their normal lives. An antigen test for the coronavirus could be a huge help in expanding testing.

On May 9, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first antigen test for emergency use in the U.S. These tests are starting to be available across the country and could dramatically change the COVID-19 testing landscape when they become widely available.

What is an antigen?

The human immune system, and in fact the immune systems of most vertebrates, work on a simple idea: Any protein in your body that isn’t encoded by your own genes is probably from a pathogen and should be captured and destroyed.

When the immune system detects a foreign protein, your white blood cells, specifically your B-cells, create antibodies to trap and destroy these proteins. Antibodies are Y-shaped proteins that use their arms as grabbers for foreign proteins. The first round of antibodies aren’t particularly well matched to the shape of a new invading protein, but every time white blood cells make new antibodies, they tweak the shape of the antibody grabber until it fits the protein very well.

The foreign protein that triggers this process is referred to as an “anti–gen” because it is an antibody generator.

The sampling process for an antigen test is easy and fast. A simple throat swab is all that is needed. Kirill Zykov, Moscow News Agency photo via AP

How does an antigen test work?

Antigen tests are well named: They look for antigens. To identify these antigens, antigen tests use antibodies.

You may have performed one yourself if you’ve ever used a home pregnancy test, which uses tests for an antigen called human chorionic gonadotropin in urine that is produced by the cells that surround a fetus when a woman becomes pregnant.

Like the test that diagnoses influenza, the SARS–CoV–2 antigen test uses antibodies that are produced in animals to hunt for proteins embedded in the coronavirus’s surface. If the antibodies detect viral proteins in a sample, the person most likely has the coronavirus.

An antigen test for SARS-CoV-2 starts with a medical professional collecting a sample of mucus from the back of a persons throat or nose using a swab. They then dip the swab into a liquid to dissolve the mucus and release the virus.

The liquid is then applied to the surface of the test slide that is coated with antibodies. These antibodies are stuck to the slide and “grab onto” any coronavirus proteins that are in the sample.

A second mixture of antibodies is then applied to the slide. These antibodies have been chemically modified with a dye that makes them visible to the naked eye or detectable by fluorescent light.

If the sample contains viral antigen proteins, those antigens are now sandwiched by two antibodies: one that attaches them to the test kit and another that makes them visible. The more coronavirus antigen there is, the more dye will be visible, indicating that the patient is infected with SARS-CoV-2.

If there is no detectable dye, this would mean the person does not have SARS-CoV-2 or that the sample did not have enough viral proteins.

Evolution is the greatest engineer in history. By using the immune system itself to search for evidence of a SARS-CoV-2 infection, antigen tests are much faster than normal RNA tests. Antibodies (in blue) binding to a surface protein of SARS-CoV-2 (red). Juan Gaertner/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

What are the strengths of antigen tests?

The main selling points of antigen tests are that they are far faster and easier to perform than reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. PCR tests – the swab tests that look for viral RNA – are currently the most common way to test for an active SARS-CoV-2 infection and can take up to four days to perform.

By contrast, the most time-consuming part of the antigen test process is waiting for the antibody mixtures and the sample to mix completely. This process takes mere minutes, given the small volumes typically used in an antigen test. A COVID-19 antigen test might take only 15-30 minutes to complete and requires very little expertise.

Similar tests are done routinely in clinics for influenza all the time. In contrast, PCR tests swabs must be sent to diagnostic laboratories to be performed by experienced technicians as of right now.

What are the weaknesses?

What antigen tests gain in speed and ease of use, they lose in accuracy.

Because they look directly for evidence of the virus, there need to be a lot virus proteins available to stick to the antibodies to produce a detectable result. Depending on the virus, qualitative antigen tests likely need a sample to contain many thousands of viral proteins in order to produce a positive test. If a sample doesn’t have enough virus or a person has a low-grade infection, the test might give a false negative result – and a sick person would get told they are uninfected.

The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization to a SARS–CoV–2 antigen test made by the pharmaceutical company Quidel Corporation. Quidel reports that their antigen test produces about a 20% false negative rate. That means that 1 in 5 people who actually are infected will receive a result saying they are not. At a large scale, this may result in missing many infected individuals.

Antigen tests are already used to test for the flu and pregnancy. Why not for COVID-19? TravelCouples/Moment via Getty Images

Can I get one?

The Quidel test is not currently widely available due to production capacity. As production ramps up and other companies begin to produce antigen tests, they will become more available. Once laboratories around the country begin processing the antigen tests, public health officials will also get a better sense of the real-world false negative rate.

A COVID-19 antigen test can fill an important gap in the testing landscape by providing fast diagnoses in the clinic, but they’re not perfect. Because of the somewhat high false negative rate, individual patients should be careful with how they interpret the results. But when combined with more accurate PCR tests and blood tests that look for antibodies, antigen testing has a large role to play in helping public health officials better understand and fight the spread of the coronavirus.

[Understand new developments in science, health and technology, each week. Subscribe to The Conversation’s new science newsletter.]

Sony has launched a new pocked-sized digital camera that has been designed to cater to the needs of video content creators and vloggers.

Sony says that the ZV-1 combines easy-to-use features with uncompromising imaging technology, making it the perfect tool for any content creator.

The company has tweeted a video on its Sony Alpha handle that highlights some of the features of the new camera.

 Sony launches ZV-1 compact digital camera with a flip-out, tiltable LCD screen for vloggers

Sony ZV-1

A report by PetaPixel mentions that the camera is similar to the RX100 series. The only difference is that Sony ZV-1 comes with a flip screen and a better microphone.

The ZV-1 weighs 294 grams and is Sony’s first compact camera with a flip-out, tiltable LCD screen. It comes with a MI (Multi Interface) Shoe to attach external microphones without using an additional mounting bracket.

The camera includes advances in image stabilisation that ensures steady video even when recorded hand-held while walking. When shooting in HD (Active mode), the camera combines both optical and electronic stabilisation methods to minimise shaking up to 11 times that of standard SteadyShot.

Sony says when a 4K video is recorded using Optical SteadyShot (Active mode), the stabilisation is said to improve up to 8 times.

The ZV-1 features a 1-inch 20MP stacked CMOS sensor and the 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8 ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T large-aperture lens.

Along with the subject tracking and fast autofocus, Sony ZV-1 has the latest BIONZ X image processor with front-end LSI delivering high resolution as well as low noise for superior image quality. It allows to easily switch between two modes of background bokeh while recording.

Sony says that the ZV-1 can be transformed into a webcam by connecting it to a PC via USB.

The mic features Sony’s latest Directional 3-capsule Mic designed for forward directional audio capture when operating in selfie mode. There is the 3.5mm mic jack and MI Shoe that makes it convenient to connect to a wide range of external microphones.

The ZV-1 sports a wind screen accessory that fits on the MI Shoe and help minimise wind interference while recording.

Sony ZV-1 will be available from June at a special introductory price of approximately $749 until 28 June. After that, the price will go up to $799.  The camera will also be available in Canada at approximately $999 CAD (approx Rs 55,000).

Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.

As Google and Apple are working together on designing a contact tracing tool, parallelly, Google has found a new way to help users adjust to the new normal. It has introduced a new AR-based tool – Sodar – that will help users maintain social distancing.

When you step out of your house to run errands, you can use Google’s new AR tool called ‘sodar’, to know exactly how far should you stand from the other person to keep safe.

By pointing the camera towards the ground, it will show a visual boundary of 2 meters around you, basically a little over 6 feet that is recommended by the health authorities.

 How to use Googles AR tool Sodar to maintain social distancing during COVID-19 pandemic

Image: Pixabay

To use this, you need to visit its website as it is not an app that can be downloaded from Play Store. Noticeably, this will AR tool is available on Google Chrome and Android devices for now.

This is a cool use of AR that Google has put into use to help people fight Coronavirus. Try it now by following these simple steps:

Google's AR tool Sodar

Google’s AR tool Sodar

How to use Google’s AR tool ‘Sodar’ to maintain social distancing

Step 1: Open the Sodar website in Google Chrome, if you opened it on laptop or PC, scan the mobile QR code on the website to use it on phone

Step 2: Press ‘Enter AR’ when prompted

Step 3: You will be directed to your camera, just point it towards the surface and it will start showing your the 2m radius

via GIPHY

So next time whenever you step out of your home and want to use this tool, just go to the website and press ‘launch’ and you will be good to go.

Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.

OnePlus 8 series was launched in India back in April but the smartphones were not available for purchase for a long time due to the nationwide lockdown. OnePlus 8 will go on sale on Amazon at 12 pm today at a starting price of Rs 41,999.

To recall, the OnePlus 8 series was earlier scheduled to go on open sale today in India but the production was temporarily shut which led to the delay of the sale. OnePlus has said that its production is back up and running and it will soon announce the open sale date for the series.

OnePlus 8 pricing, sale offers

OnePlus 8 will come in three storage variants — 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage variant is priced at Rs 41,999, 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage variant is priced at Rs 44,999 and 12 GB RAM + 256 GB internal storage variant will cost you Rs 49,999. The smartphone comes in new Glacial Green and Interstellar Glow colour variants in addition to the regular Onyx Black.

 OnePlus 8 with Snapdragon 865 SoC to go on sale at 12 pm today on Amazon

OnePlus 8

The sale will kick off at 12 pm today on Amazon.

You can also get a discount of Rs 2,000 on OnePlus 8 if you make the payment by the SBI Credit card. Customers can also get a Rs 1,000 cashback in the Amazon wallet by pre-booking the smartphone.

Jio users will also get benefits worth Rs 6,000 on the purchase of OnePlus 8.

(Also read: OnePlus 8 launched: Here’s a look at the four things OnePlus did right, and five things it messed up)

OnePlus 8 specifications and features

OnePlus 8 features a 6.5 inch full-HD+Fluid AMOLED display that has a resolution of  1080 x 2400 pixels and a 90 Hz refresh rate. The smartphone is powered by Snapdragon 865 chipset and offers up to 12 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage. It comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor just like its predecessors. It runs on Android 10.

In the camera department, you get a triple rear camera setup that includes 48 MP IMX586 sensor, a 16 MP ultra-wide camera and a 2 MP macro lens. On the front, you will get a 16 MP Sony IMX471 sensor.

OnePlus 8 houses a 4,300 mAh battery that supports Warp Charge 30T which charges the phone from zero to 50 percent in 22 minutes. This smartphone does not come with wireless charging support.

Disclaimer: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd which publishes Firstpost

Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.

Apple may delay the launch of iPhone 12 series by at least two months. The smartphones under the upcoming iPhone series are now expected to arrive in the month of November instead of the traditional mid-September timeline.

According to a report by investment bank Cowen, the iPhone 12 family of products will launch around Q4 2020.

A report by the Wall Street Journal in April said that Apple Inc is pushing back the production ramp-up of iPhones scheduled to be launched later this year by about a month due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 Apple iPhone 12 series launch may be delayed by two months to November 2020: Report

Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max.

The Cowen report estimates that Apple will produce 35 million units of iPhones in the Q2 ending in June. This will be 13 percent less than what is produced during the same period last year and 5 percent lower from the previous quarter.

The report mentions that the iPhone 12 series is expected to have four models. The series is likely to comprise one 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and one 6.7-inch model.

All the four iPhone 12 models are likely to come with a better wide-angle camera which is upgraded from 6P to 7P.

Sharp and O-film Tech might be taking care of camera modules of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Max. LG Innotek is expected to make cameras for the other two models of the series.

Earlier reports had suggested that the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Max are expected to sport two rear cameras each, while the other two might feature triple rear camera setups.

A report by GSMArena mentioned that all the devices under the iPhone 12 series will support 5G connectivity and will have OLED panels with smaller notches.

Apple is likely to debut its A14 chipset based on TSMC’s 5 nm process with the upcoming iPhone series.

Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to [email protected].


What would it feel like to touch a cloud? – Violet V., age 6, Somerville, Massachusetts


You might already know how it feels to touch a cloud without realizing it.

If you’ve ever been outside on a foggy day, you’ve essentially been inside a cloud, just one very close to the ground instead of high in the sky. Fog and clouds are both made of tiny water droplets – like the ones you can sometimes see or feel in a hot, steamy shower.

Clouds form through evaporation and condensation. Water in lakes, rivers, oceans or puddles evaporates into water vapor as the sun heats it up. You can evaporate water yourself by boiling it – watch it disappear as vapor.

[embedded content]
How do clouds form?

Water vapor, which is invisible, naturally rises up from the Earth’s surface into the atmosphere as warm bubbles, like the bubbles you’d see rising in a lava lamp. The higher it goes, the more it cools, until eventually the water vapor condenses back into liquid water.

Clouds are made of millions of these tiny liquid water droplets. The droplets scatter the colors of the sunlight equally, which makes clouds appear white. Even though they can look like cushy puffballs, a cloud can’t support your weight or hold anything up but itself.

Water vapor in your bathroom can fog up the mirror.

The process of evaporation and condensation in the atmosphere is similar to what happens in your bathroom when you take a hot shower: Warm water evaporates and then condenses back into water on the cold mirror.

Water vapor does not condense spontaneously. It needs tiny particles or a surface – like your bathroom mirror – on which to form a drop. Atmospheric scientists like me call these tiny particles cloud condensation nuclei, or CCN for short. These CCN are just dirt or dust particles that have been lifted by the wind and are floating around in the atmosphere.

Does that mean that places with a lot of dust and pollution, like cities, have more drops than clean places? Researchers have found more tiny droplets and more clouds in areas where there are a lot of these cloud condensation nuclei, while in areas without them fewer clouds are observed, like over the ocean or the Arctic.

Water evaporates and rises up into the sky, condensing to form clouds. NASA, CC BY

As cloud droplets rise in the atmosphere, the air temperature decreases. The tiny cloud droplets start to freeze when the temperature drops below below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius). It’s the exact same process as making ice cubes in a freezer.

The frozen droplets are now ice crystals. They continue to grow in size as water vapor turns into ice and sticks onto them. Scientists call this process of a gas turning into a solid “deposition.” It creates the beautiful branched ice crystals that you find in snowstorms.

Steady updrafts of air keep these very light water droplets or ice crystals floating in the cloud. So how do they turn into rain and snow and fall to the ground? Easy, they join forces.

Those spiky arms can grab on to other snowflakes. Aaron Burden/Unsplash, CC BY

Larger droplets collect smaller droplets on their way to the ground as raindrops. Snow grows in a similar way, with the crystals sticking to each other. Their little arms can interlock to form a bigger snowflake. When water droplets merge with ice crystals, that makes hail.

Rain droplets grow on their way down to the ground, eventually becoming unstable and breaking up. The largest raindrop that researchers have found was about a third of an inch across. Some giant snowflakes have been reported to be as big as 6 inches across. And the biggest piece of hail? In 2010, someone found a hailstone 8 inches in diameter in South Dakota and took a photo – so scientists know it was real.

That would be a lot more painful to collide with than a wispy cloud of water vapor.


Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to [email protected]. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *

Powered by Blogger.
Javascript DisablePlease Enable Javascript To See All Widget