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The reusable manned spacecraft Crew Dragon with four space tourists on board after completing its stay at the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, February 9, successfully splashed down in the Atlantic, the company that developed the device, SpaceX, reported.

After leaving orbit, the ship’s descent capsule, using a parachute system, made a soft splashdown off the east coast of Florida near the city of Dayton, Interfax reports. In the splashdown area, the SpaceX search and rescue vessel Shannon was waiting for the capsule.

Crew Dragon with space tourists on board launched to the ISS on January 19. The crew commander was former NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, who also commanded the company’s first mission to the ISS, Axiom-1. Also traveling to the ISS were Italian Walter Villadei (pilot), Swede Markus Wandt (mission specialist) and Alper Gezeravcı (mission specialist), who became the first astronaut in Turkish history. All three have experience serving in the air forces of their countries.

The third Axiom mission (Ax-3) had a crew of four on the ISS for more than two weeks, during which they worked alongside the station’s current crew. Tourists conducted about 30 scientific experiments on board the ISS.

The first commercial astronaut mission, Ax-1, took place in April 2022. It was originally designed to last 10 days, but due to bad weather at the splashdown site off the coast of Florida, the four astronauts stayed on it for a week longer. The cost of the flight for each member of the Axiom-1 mission was estimated at $55 million.

The flight of the crew of the company’s second mission, Ax-2, to the ISS took place in May 2023.

Flights with space tourists under the Axiom Space program, in agreement with SpaceX, are planned to be carried out two to three times a year in the future.

2024-02-09 14:09:14
#Axiom3 #space #tourists #returned #ISS #Earth

Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who is fighting for the Republican nomination for US President, suffered a humiliating defeat in the Nevada primaries. Despite the fact that she was the only viable candidate on the ballot, most voters checked the “against all” option.

The state primaries were held at the direction of the court. The local branch of the Republican Party decided that the candidate would be determined at caucuses – election conferences. Unlike the primaries, the leader of the presidential race, Donald Trump, will also participate in them.

Note that Haley did not campaign in Nevada, saying that she intended to focus on states where, according to her, elections are fair. “Even Donald Trump knows the casino always wins,” said Haley’s spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas.

The Democratic Party primaries were also held in Nevada. They were won by President Joe Biden, for whom 87% of voters voted.

2024-02-07 10:36:35
#Nevada #primaries #Haley #lost #candidate

As noted The Wall Street Journal citing Israeli and American sources, despite the fact that the war in the Gaza Strip has lasted for more than 100 days, Israel has managed to destroy only 20-40% of the extensive network of tunnels created by Hamas.

The publication’s Israeli interlocutors admit that solving the tunnel problem is the key to both the capture of the Hamas leadership and the release of the remaining Israeli hostages. However, various methods of combating them, including flooding and the use of robots and specially trained dogs, have had only limited success.

The network of tunnels extends over 300 miles. They allow Hamas to equip safe weapons depots and resting places for militants, and to transfer forces. Command posts are also located underground.

The publication quotes Israeli negotiator Gershon Baskin as expressing surprise at how little Israel knew about what was happening in Gaza, essentially in Israel’s backyard.

WSJ notes that Israeli commandos were preparing to destroy the tunnels, not clear them. In addition, the goals of the operation – the destruction of Hamas and the release of hostages – often conflict with each other. According to Israeli sources, terrorist leader Yahya Sinouar is using hostages as human shields.

2024-01-28 08:48:45
#WSJ #Hamas #retains #tunnels

More than 75 people were killed and at least 180 injured in explosions during memorial ceremonies in the Iranian city of Kerman to mark the fourth anniversary of the death of the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, General Qassem Soleimani.

Initially, the media reported from eyewitnesses that a gas cylinder had exploded. Later, local authorities stated that it was a terrorist attack. Panic began on the spot, making it difficult to evacuate the victims.

Let us recall that the creator of the global terrorist network supporting Iran was eliminated by the Americans on January 3, 2020 at Baghdad International Airport. According to publications, US intelligence agencies acted with information support from Israeli intelligence.

The funeral of the terrorist leader was marked by a stampede, as a result of which 56 people died and about 200 were injured.

A few days ago, IRGC spokesman Ramadan Sharif said that the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 was retaliation for the death of Soleimani. Representatives of the Iranian opposition, in turn, note that the liquidation of Hamas leader Salah al-Arouri was almost timed to coincide with the anniversary of Soleimani’s death.

#Dozens #killed #terrorist #attack #ceremony #memory #Qassem #Soleimani
2024-01-03 12:55:34

A fire occurred on board a Japan Airlines plane flying from Hokkaido at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. This was reported by NHK TV channel.

Flames were reported coming from the cabin and the fire had spread to the runway.

There were more than 300 passengers on board the plane; Reuters reports that 360 passengers and crew members, who, according to the latest data, were evacuated.

The Airbus A350-900, registration JA13XJ, arrived on flight JL516 from Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido. This is a new aircraft, only two years old.

After landing, he collided with a coast guard aircraft that was supposed to deliver humanitarian aid to the earthquake-stricken area. There were five people on board, their fate is unknown.

Due to the incident, all flights and aircraft arrivals at Haneda Airport have been canceled and the fire is being extinguished. As a result of the incident, the plane was almost completely burned out.

2024-01-02 09:48:20
#Fire #board #plane #landing #Tokyo