CHANCE OF FLARES TODAY: Big sunspot AR3014 has an unstable 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field that harbors energy for strong explosions. Today there is a 40% chance of M-class flares and a 5% chance of X-flares, according to NOAA. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
STARLINER REACHES THE ISS: Boeing's Starliner spacecraft has finally reached the International Space Station (ISS). Szabolcs Nagy of London, England, photographed the capsule just before docking on Friday, May 20th:
"Boeing's Starliner was only 200 meters from the ISS," says Nagy, who manually tracked the pair using a 10-inch dobsonian telescope. "Seeing them so close together was an incredible experience. Just wow!!"
Soon after its London flyby, the nose of the Starliner latched onto one of the space station's docking ports. Space station crewmembers opened the hatch on Saturday, May 21st, and started unloading 800 pounds of cargo, mostly food and supplies.
The only astronaut on board was a test dummy--Rosie the Rocketeer, who rode in the captain's chair. Rosie was outfitted with 15 sensors to collect data on what real astronauts will experience during future flights on Starliner.
Boeing has been trying to reach the ISS for years. Starliner's first test flight in 2019 failed to reach the space station. The company spent the next two and a half years fixing technical problems. Meanwhile, SpaceX raced ahead, carrying 5 crews to the ISS onboard its Crew Dragon spacecraft. Starliner's successful launch from Cape Canaveral on May 19th signals that Boeing, too, is in the New Space Race. If all goes as planned, Starliner could taxi crews as large as seven to the ISS by the end of 2022.
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STERLING SILVER HUMMINGBIRD: Are you looking for a far-out gift? Consider the Sterling Silver Hummingbird. This one hitched a ride to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon on May 13, 2022:
You can have it for $159.95. At the apex of the flight, the hummingbird floated 112,336 feet above the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains while sensors in the payload measured cosmic rays. It makes a great anniversary or birthday gift.
The hummingbird comes with a greeting card showing the pendant in flight, telling the story of its trip to the edge of space and back again. Bonus: The pendant contains a tiny chamber, which you may fill with the ashes of a loved one or anything else you wish to keep close to your heart.
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