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Countdown To Mars: Launch of the NASA 2020 Perseverance Rover

Team with NASA to send off the Perseverance rover to Mars — from the convenience of your own home. The mission launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida, this summer, and you’re invited to participate remotely — with a global, collective launch countdown where you can submit your own videos, take a photo on Mars or next to the rover, dive into an interactive launch packet, and sign up to send your name to Mars on a future space mission.

After a seven-month journey to the Red Planet, the rover will land in Jezero Crater, an ancient lakebed with intriguing geology. In its search for astrobiological evidence of ancient microbial life, Perseverance will gather rock and soil samples there for future return to Earth. It will also characterize the planet’s climate and geology and pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet.

In addition, Perseverance carries the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, a technology demonstration that marks the first attempt at powered, controlled flight on another planet.

Japan cleared to buy 105 Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters for $23bn

Japan has been cleared by the US State Department to buy 105 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters as part of a package worth an estimated $23.11 billion.

The potential F-35 deal is the second largest foreign military sale approved by Washington in history, behind a $29.4 billion sale of Boeing F-15SA fighters and associated weapons to Saudi Arabia in 2010.

Japan F-35 Mt Fuji hi-res

Atlantic Coast Pipeline Canceled Following Years of Legal Challenges

Pipeline owners Dominion and Duke Energy announced Sunday they were cancelling the fossil fuel project due to mounting delays and uncertainty. They said the many legal challenges to the project had driven up the projected costs by almost half, from $4.5 to $5 billion when it was first announced in 2014 to $8 billion according to the most recent estimate.

Environmental and community groups, who have long opposed the project on climate, conservation and racial justice grounds, welcomed the news.

“If anyone still had questions about whether or not the era of fracked gas was over, this should answer them,” Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune said in a statement emailed to EcoWatch. “Today is a historic victory for clean water, the climate, public health, and our communities. Duke and Dominion did not decide to cancel the Atlantic Coast Pipeline — the people and frontline organizations that led this fight for years forced them into walking away. Today’s victory reinforces that united communities are more powerful than the polluting corporations that put profits over our health and future.”

Cold Fire You Can Touch — DIY Cold Plasma Torch

Plasma is the 4th state of matter and it comes in many flavors. You probably know it from it’s greatest hits, fire and lightning, but there is a lot more to plasma than most people are aware of. Cold plasma is my personal favorite as it has the same beautiful glow that all plasma have, but it’s no warmer than room temp and feels cold to the touch. In this video we go through my year long journey to harness this weird state of matter into a torch that can be used for future experiments and in the lab.

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Severe thunderstorm warning issued for parts of St. Lucie and Martin counties

The National Weather Service in Melbourne has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for southeastern St. Lucie County and northeastern Martin County until 10 p.m.

At 9:18 p.m., a severe thunderstorm was located 7 miles north of Indiantown, moving northeast at 15 mph.

Locations impacted include Port Saint Lucie, Walton, Stuart, Palm City and Saint Lucie Nuclear Power Plant.

Weather looks OK for next SpaceX Starlink launch from Cape Canaveral

The weather forecast appears to be trending slightly toward favorable conditions for the Space Coast’s next launch from Kennedy Space Center.

If schedules hold, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will likely encounter 60% “go” conditions for its 5:22 p.m. Tuesday liftoff from pad 39A, the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron said Saturday. The 230-foot rocket will carry about 60 Starlink satellites for the company’s tenth internet constellation mission.

Showers and thunderstorms are expected Tuesday but should move mostly inland just before the launch time.