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By zikalify
SpaceX launches record-breaking number of satellites
by Paul Hill
SpaceX successfully launched its Transporter-1 mission earlier today atop one of its Falcon 9 rockets. The mission is the first from the SmallSat Rideshare Program that lets organisations launch their satellites into different orbits for as low as $1,000,000. The mission broke records in terms of the number of satellites carried into space, the record was previously held by India which launched 104 satellites in 2017.
On today’s flight, SpaceX said there were 133 commercial and government spacecraft and 10 Starlink satellites. The commercial and government spacecraft consisted of CubeSats, microsats and orbital transfer vehicles while the Starlink satellites are the first of their kind to be going into a polar orbit which means they’ll pass over the North and South Poles each time they go around the Earth.
If you were not following along live, you can watch the entire mission as it happened below:
As with other SpaceX launches, the rocket’s first stage takes the satellites up so far before separating. After separating, the company said the first stage performed a flip manoeuvre, deployed the grid fans, made an entry burn and then underwent aerodynamic guidance before performing a vertical landing on a droneship which was sitting in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
According to the company’s Rideshare page, it will be launching missions into Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) approximately every four months. As SpaceX continues to find more efficiencies in rocket launches it will be able to continue to drive down its already comparatively low satellite launch prices.
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By zikalify
UKSA and Rolls-Royce to study nuclear-powered space travel
by Paul Hill
The UK Space Agency (UKSA) and Rolls-Royce have signed a research contract that will bring the two together to investigate nuclear energy as a source for deeper space exploration. UKSA said that nuclear is a plentiful source of energy that could propel spacecraft at huge speeds which could “revolutionise” space travel.
In terms of results, nuclear propulsion is expected to be twice as efficient as chemical engines which are in use today and a trip to Mars could be cut in half and take just three to four months. According to the government, the new agreement will also generate skilled employment across the country.
Commenting on the partnership, UKSA Chief Executive Dr Graham Turnock said:
Aside from faster travel, nuclear propulsion would help cut astronauts’ dosage of radiation that they get hit with when in space. UKSA said that the longer you spend in space, the greater the amount of radiation that you’re exposed to so faster journeys would mean less radiation exposure.
In the outer Solar System, the sunlight is too dim to power solar panels and fuel cells are not a reliable store of energy according to UKSA. Using nuclear power, therefore, would help to enable more missions in the outer Solar System.
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By indospot
How to create recovery media for your Windows 10 PC
by João Carrasqueira
Computers and their operating systems are incredibly complex pieces of technology, and they may just last you a good number of years from the day you buy it. Because of that, at some point, there's a very good chance you'll run into some problems or performance may just not be as good as it used to be, so you might just need a fresh start for your OS.
There are many ways to go about restoring your system to a blank slate, as most computer manufacturers offer some sort of recovery tool, but in this guide, we'll show you how to get started by creating recovery media, so you can always get back to a functional state later. This guide should work on any computer running Windows 10 and while it specifically refers to Windows 10 version 20H2, these features should be available in most of the recent versions of the OS.
Backing up your drivers
Performing a clean installation of Windows means you'll probably be installing the OS without the appropriate drivers for your PC. In some cases, you may be alright with the generic drivers in Windows, and from there, you can connect to the internet to download the drivers that are missing from Windows Update. However, you'll be dependent on whether drivers are available on Windows Update if you even manage to connect to the internet with the built-in generic drivers.
Most of the bigger OEMs will likely provide driver downloads from their support website, but that may not always be the case. Thankfully, you can backup the drivers you're using right now, and you can just install them later. You'll want an external drive, be it a flash drive or an external HDD/SSD. You may want to create a new folder in the drive you're using to back up the drivers, so you can find them more easily.
To backup your current drivers, you'll need to use Command Prompt or PowerShell. You can right-click the Start icon or press the Windows key + X, then choose either Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin) from the context menu.
To backup your drivers, you need to enter the following command: dism /online /export-driver /destination:"{Path}", where {Path} is the location of the folder you want to use on your external drive. You can copy the path from the address bar in File Explorer when the folder is open. In our example, we're using a Drivers folder on the root of drive E:, so the command is dism /online /export-driver /destination:"E:\Drivers". It should look like this:
If all goes well, the folder you chose will look something like this once the process is done (you will see more folders depending on how many drivers are backed up):
Creating installation media
Finally, you'll want to create installation media for Windows 10. For this, you'll need another external USB drive, and it can't be the same you used to backup your drivers and data. Creating installation media will delete all other data on the drive, so you need a drive with no important data. The drive also needs at least 8GB of capacity for the latest version of Windows 10.
Option 1 - Using the Media Creation Tool
The easiest way to create Windows 10 installation media is to use Microsoft's Media Creation Tool. You can download it by going to this page and using the Download tool now button (not the Update now button).
Open the file you downloaded and accept the license terms that show up. You'll then be asked whether you want to upgrade now or create installation media, and in this case, we want to do the latter. You can then choose which language, architecture, and edition of Windows 10 you want to install. The program will automatically apply the settings that match your current system, but you can always change them if you want to.
Then, you get the option to either create an ISO file or use a USB flash drive as installation media. An ISO file can be used to create installation media later, which we'll get to in a bit. For now, we want to use a USB drive, which needs to have at least 8GB of space for the latest version of Windows 10. Then, choose the flash drive you want to use. Remember that this will erase all the data on the drive, and that it can't be the same drive you used to backup your drivers.
At this point, the tool will begin downloading the latest version of Windows 10 and flashing it onto the drive you chose. This will take a while, but you can just leave the program open and wait for it to finish, and you'll be good to go.
Option 2 - Using Rufus
Using the Media Creation Tool is the most straightforward way to create installation media, but it's not ideal for everyone. It may happen that you don't have an internet connection available at the same time you have the flash drive, so you use the Media Creation Tool to download an ISO file first, and then flash it later. Or you may already have an ISO file for a specific version of Windows, or even a different operating system.
If that applies to you, a tool like Rufus can help you flash an ISO file to a USB flash drive, though the most recent versions also give you the option to download some operating systems from the internet. We'll be focusing on using an ISO file you already have, whether you created it with the Media Creation Tool or got it elsewhere.
First, download the latest version of Rufus from this page (it should be the first file on the list). Install it and run it, and you'll see this interface:
There are plenty of options here, but for most people, you should be fine focusing on a couple of items. At the top, you can choose the USB flash drive. Just like with the Media Creation Tool, remember this process will delete all data on the drive, so you'll need to make sure you don't need it for anything else. For the Boot selection option, you'll want to choose Disk or ISO image (Please select) then click the SELECT button to find the ISO file you want to use. The arrow next to the button allows you to switch to download mode, so you can download the operating system you want instead. In our example, this isn't what we want.
Once you have selected an ISO (image) file, some of the default options in the app will change to match. You shouldn't need to worry about any of this, and you can simply click START at the bottom to begin flashing the image to the flash drive. Once the process is fully completed, you should be able to use the drive to install the operating system you chose.
Option 3 - Create a recovery drive
If the PC you want to recover is still fully functional, you can create a recovery drive through existing methods in Windows 10. Some manufacturers, such as Dell and (naturally) Microsoft, actually recommend this as the method to create a recovery drive for their PCs. This will create a drive containing not only the operating system but programs bundled with the original installation, so if you have a brand-new PC, you can use this as a failsafe in case the computer fails later.
The easiest way to access this is by opening the Start menu or Windows search and typing "create a recovery drive". Otherwise, you can open the legacy Control Panel, choose System and Security, then Security and Maintenance, Recovery, and finally, Create a recovery drive. Click Next in the first window and you'll be able to choose a drive to store the backup.
As usual, this process will delete all the content in the drive. Choose the flash drive you want to use as a recovery drive, which will need to be at least 16GB in size, though the requirements vary depending on your laptop brand. Dell, for example, recommends a minimum of 32GB. If you meet the requirements, start the process and wait for it to finish.
OEM-specific solutions
Many PC manufacturers offer tools that let you create recovery images for your specific device. If you'd rather go that route, here are some options for the biggest PC manufacturers out there.
For Microsoft's Surface devices, you can download a recovery image from here. You need to select your Surface model and provide your serial number to be able to download it, then you can unzip the file to a flash drive. This requires a flash drive with at least 16GB of storage, or 8GB if you're using a Surface RT or Surface 2.
HP offers the Cloud Recovery Tool, which can be used to create a recovery image for your specific PC. You can download the app from the Microsoft Store and follow the instructions in the app. HP also provides instructions on how to use the tool here. Bear in mind you'll need a flash drive with at least 32GB of storage, since these recovery images include more than just a Windows installation, but also all the drivers and software that would come in an HP PC out of the box.
Lenovo has a similar tool, called Digital Download Recovery Service. First, you need to go to Lenovo's recovery website to request a digital download for your PC. You'll need your serial number and Machine Type Model (MTM). Then, you'll need Lenovo's USB Recovery Creator tool, which you can download here for Windows 7 and here for Windows 8 or later (including Windows 10). Download the appropriate version and follow the instructions in the app to download the image and create recovery media for it.
Finally, Dell also has a similar tool, the Dell OS Recovery Tool. You can download it here, and then follow the instructions to create the recovery media. You'll have to provide the service tag for the device you want to recover, and you need a flash drive with at least 16GB of data.
That should cover every option you could want for creating recovery media for your PC. These are the things you need in order to have an operational computer after the recovery process. We'll have a separate guide focused on the actual process of restoring a PC later, but you'll want to follow these steps first.
Did you try any of the methods listed above? Did you find them helpful? Is there another method you prefer? Let us know in the comments!
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By Ather Fawaz
"Mars, here we come!!" exclaims Elon Musk despite explosive ending to Starship's test flight
by Ather Fawaz
Image via Trevor Mahlmann (YouTube) The Starship initiative by SpaceX is meant to make spaceflights to Mars a reality. After a scrubbed launch yesterday courtesy of an auto-abort procedure in the Starship's Raptor engines, once again, SpaceX geared up for a re-run of the test a few hours back. This time, Starship SN8 successfully took flight from its test site in Boca Chica, Texas. A trimmed version of the complete event is embedded below from Trevor Mahlmann's YouTube channel.
Compared to the scrubbed launch, things went better on this one, but not entirely. The gargantuan 160-feet tall rocket, propelled by three Raptor engines, took flight, and intended to rise to a height of 41,000 ft (12,500 m). SpaceX founder Elon Musk called the ascent a success, but it's not clear whether the rocket reached its intended altitude. Nevertheless, after reaching its highest point, the rocket began its journey back to its earthly test site.
Image via Trevor Mahlmann (YouTube) The SN8 prototype performed a spectacular mid-air flipping maneuver to set itself on course to land vertically back to the earth—a feat we've all grown accustomed to seeing with SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. The SN8 executed the landing flip successfully, and SpaceX tweeted a closer look at the event as it happened. Impressively, SpaceX claimed that by doing so, the SN8 became the largest spacecraft to perform a landing maneuver of this sort.
But as the rocket prepared to touch down and its boosters tried to slow down its descent to cushion the landing, the rocket's fuel header tank pressure got low. This caused the "touchdown velocity to be high & RUD," during the landing burn, Musk tweeted. Unfortunately, this meant that upon touchdown, the Starship SN8 prototype exploded into flames.
Image via SpaceX Livestream Notwithstanding the fiery, unfortunate event right at the final few moments, SpaceX and Musk hailed the test as a success. For the company, "SN8 did great! Even reaching apogee would’ve been great, so controlling all way to putting the crater in the right spot was epic!!" Musk tweeted, "We got all the data we needed. Congrats SpaceX team hell yeah!!", he continued; before following up with another tweet exclaiming "Mars, here we come!!"
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By Ather Fawaz
NASA approves SpaceX and the Crew Dragon for regular crewed missions to the ISS
by Ather Fawaz
Image via NASA/SpaceX It has been a big year so far for SpaceX. Back in May, its Crew Dragon spacecraft completed its first manned voyage to the International Space Station (ISS). With Elon Musk accrediting Starship as the top priority for the company, the famed project has also picked up pace. So has the Starlink initiative, with its recent expansion to include more beta customers. The firm is also gearing up for Dragon's second manned mission, Crew-1, to the ISS in a few days as well. Amidst all this, it has now finally gained NASA's approval that it has been striving towards with the Commercial Crew program.
The approval came after NASA signed the Human Rating Certification Plan for SpaceX’s crew transportation system yesterday. The signing was completed after conducting a thorough flight readiness review ahead of the agency’s Crew-1 mission, with astronauts onboard, to the space station. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine commended the success of the Commercial Crew Program and the achievements of both companies, stating:
The founder and CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk marked it as an honor and a motivating force in the company's vision to make flights to the Moon and Mars a reality:
This is a milestone for both companies. For SpaceX, this system of the Crew Dragon plus the Falcon 9 rocket along with the associated ground systems is the first to be NASA-certified for regular manned flights since the space shuttle nearly 40 years ago. This obviously means that SpaceX's hefty investment in the Commercial Crew program has paid off. For NASA, this is the first time that the agency has certified a commercial spacecraft system in history that is capable of transporting humans to and from the ISS. This directly means that astronauts can regularly make trips to the ISS to and from American soil, which could be a vital step towards commercializing space flights.
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