Science News Roundup: Virgin Orbit among new operators for Brazil's Alcântara spaceport; Virgin Hyperloop shows off the future and more

Scientists said on Thursday an examination of a ring of bones surrounding the pupil and a bony tube inside the skull that houses the hearing organ showed that this dinosaur, called Shuvuuia deserti, boasted visual and auditory capabilities akin to a barn owl, indicating it could it hunt in total darkness. Chinese rocket debris set for re-entry by early Sunday - U.S. R&D centre Remnants of China's largest rocket launched last week are expected to plunge back through the atmosphere late Saturday or early Sunday, a U.S. federally funded space-focused research and development centre said.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 08-05-2021 10:33 IST | Created: 08-05-2021 10:29 IST
Science News Roundup: Virgin Orbit among new operators for Brazil's Alcântara spaceport; Virgin Hyperloop shows off the future and more

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Virgin Orbit among new operators for Brazil's Alcântara spaceport

Billionaire Richard Branson's modified Boeing 747 may soon be taking off from Brazil's northern coast to launch rockets into orbit as the South American country seeks a piece of the small satellite market. The Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) and Air Force announced last week the selection of four companies, including Branson's Virgin Orbit, to operate from the Alcântara launch center.

Virgin Hyperloop shows off the future: mass transport in floating magnetic pods

In the desert just north of Las Vegas, a long white metal tube sits at the base of the mountains, promising to one day revolutionize travel. That is where Virgin Hyperloop, whose partners include Richard Branson's Virgin Group, is developing the technology for passenger pods that will hurtle at speeds of up to 750 miles an hour (1,200 kph) through almost air-free vacuum tunnels using magnetic levitation.

No plan to shoot down Chinese rocket -Pentagon chief

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday there was no plan at this point to shoot down the remnants of a large Chinese rocket expected to plunge back through the atmosphere this weekend. The Long March 5B rocket blasted off from China's Hainan island on April 29, carrying the Tianhe module, which contains what will become living quarters for three crew members on a permanent Chinese space station.

Pint-sized Mongolian menace shows dinosaurs loved the nightlife, too

Under the cover of darkness in desert habitats about 70 million years ago, in what is today Mongolia and northern China, a gangly looking dinosaur employed excellent night vision and superb hearing to thrive as a menacing pint-sized nocturnal predator. Scientists said on Thursday an examination of a ring of bones surrounding the pupil and a bony tube inside the skull that houses the hearing organ showed that this dinosaur, called Shuvuuia deserti, boasted visual and auditory capabilities akin to a barn owl, indicating it could it hunt in total darkness.

Chinese rocket debris set for re-entry by early Sunday - U.S. R&D centre

Remnants of China's largest rocket launched last week are expected to plunge back through the atmosphere late Saturday or early Sunday, a U.S. federally funded space-focused research and development centre said. China's foreign ministry said on Friday that most debris from the rocket will be burned up on re-entry and is highly unlikely to cause any harm, after the U.S. military said that what it called an uncontrolled re-entry was being tracked by U.S. Space Command.

SpaceX Starship rocket prototype achieves first safe landing

SpaceX achieved the first successful touchdown of its prototype Starship rocket during the latest test flight of the next-generation launch vehicle in south Texas on Wednesday, after four previous landing attempts ended in explosions. The feat marked a key milestone for the private rocket company of billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk in its development of a resusable heavy-lift launch vehicle to eventually carry astronauts and large cargo payloads to the moon and Mars.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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