Click to read about Google’s self driving car crash, an astronaut’s year in space, leap year explained, and more. Creative commons image from NASA.
By Lauren Yang
Google’s self driving car, shown above, made its first at-fault crash on Valentine’s day. Creative commons image from smoothgroover22.
1. A Google Self-Driving Car crashes
One of Google’s self-driving car crashed at the corner of El Camino Real and Castro Street in Mountain View, California on Valentine’s Day. Although there have been accidents in the past, this is the first incident where Google’s car was at fault. The accident happened when the car was trying to make a right turn at a red light, but there were sandbags in its way. When Google’s car attempted to drive around the obstacle, it crashed at about two mph into a public transit bus moving at 15 mph. There were no injuries, although Google’s car sustained damages to its left wheel and sensors. Read more here.
Scott Kelly, on the right, with his identical twin, Mark Kelly, are shown above. Creative commons image from NASA.
2. The effect of a year in space on the human body
Astronaut Scott Kelly returned back to earth after nearly a year in space at the International Space Station today evening. Kelly had numerous experiments conducted on him to determine the effect space has on humans. Because Kelly has an identical twin, scientists hope to compare his current, space-induced state with that of his twin. Already, researchers have determined that space weakens the bones and muscles of astronauts since they don’t have the weight of their body to carry. Other effects of space include smaller hearts, decreased vision, and exposure to cosmic radiation. Read more here.
Leap year occurred yesterday on Feb 29. Creative commons image from Keven Law.
3. Leap year, explained.
Yesterday was Leap Day, an extra day tacked onto the end of February that occurs every four years. Leap Day, or Feb. 29, is intended to sync up the calendar year with the solar year, since earth actually takes around 365 and one fourth days to make a full orbit around the sun. Read more here. https://www.thewrap.com/leap-year-explained-whats-with-this-extra-day-anyway/
Apple challenges the FBI’s request to build a backdoor in the iPhone today at a congressional hearing. Creative commons image from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Rob Janoff.
4. Apple challenges federal court order
Today, FBI Director James Comey and Apple’s head lawyer Bruce Sewell testified at a US congressional hearing on encryption issues regarding the San Bernardino shooting. The FBI wants Apple to create a backdoor to allow them to access shooter Syed Farook’s iPhone, while Apple believes doing so will establish a precedent, thereby putting all iPhone users at a huge security risk. The decision on this specific case regarding iPhone encryption could set the precedent for future cases resembling this one. US attorneys are to respond to Apple’s filings by Mar. 10, and a court hearing is slated for Mar. 22. Read more here and here.
A navy aircraft breaks the sound barrier in the above picture. Creative Commons image from Ensign John Gay.
5. Supersonic speed, minus the boom
NASA is bringing back its X-planes program by awarding $20 million to its first contract, Lockheed Martin, to develop preliminary designs for an aircraft that can travel at supersonic speeds but have a smaller “boom.” The X-planes project is a project that hopes to develop airplanes that are unique in design (think quieter landing gear, shape-changing wing flaps, etc.). Among the suggested airplane designs is a supersonic civilian aircraft with a reduced sonic boom which the Lockheed Martin team is working on. Read more here.
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