Science Roundup: Soyuz to ISS; Kilogram row; SpaceX to expand satellite internet


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 17-11-2018 11:05 IST | Created: 17-11-2018 10:28 IST

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Russian Soyuz blasts off for ISS in the first launch since the accident

An unmanned rocket carrying cargo blasted off into space on Friday in the first launch of a Russian-made Soyuz-FG rocket from Kazakhstan's Baikonur cosmodrome since a dramatic aborted launch in October. The rocket took off with a Progress MS-10 spacecraft at 18:14 GMT (00:14 local time) carrying supplies to the International Space Station (ISS).

How much does a kilogram weigh? Depends on your 'Planck constant'

It may not change how you buy bananas, but scientists have voted to redefine the value of a kilogram, in what they called a landmark decision that will boost the accuracy of scientific measurements. Since 1889, a kilogram has been defined by a shiny lump of platinum-iridium kept in a special glass case and known as the International Prototype of the Kilogram. It is housed at the headquarters of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (whose French acronym is BIPM), just outside Paris.

SpaceX, TeleSat Canada bids get U.S. nod to expand satellite internet

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously on Thursday to allow Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk's Space X, Telesat Canada and two other companies to roll out new satellite-based broadband services. The FCC voted to grant "market access" requests to Telesat, Kepler Communications Inc and LeoSat MA, Inc to offer high-speed internet service and connectivity for sensors and other intelligence devices.

'We trust our rocket', the crew says ahead of first space launch since failure

A U.S. astronaut said on Thursday she had full confidence in the safety of the Russian-made Soyuz rocket that will blast a three-person crew into space next month in the first such launch since a rocket failure. Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and U.S. and Canadian astronauts Anne McClain and David Saint-Jacques are due to embark for the International Space Station on Dec. 3 after a similar launch on Oct. 11 ended in an emergency landing.

Faceoff: Realistic masks made in Japan find demand from tech, car companies

Super-realistic face masks made by a tiny company in rural Japan are in demand from the domestic tech and entertainment industries and from countries as far away as Saudi Arabia. The 300,000-yen ($2,650) masks, made of resin and plastic by five employees at REAL-f Co., attempt to accurately duplicate an individual's face down to fine wrinkles and skin texture.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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