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Month: October 2024

Blue Origin New Glenn closer to debut launch with booster engines now installed

Blue Origin New Glenn closer to debut launch with booster engines now installed

With a November debut launch target from Cape Canaveral still in play, Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin has installed the seven engines that will power the massive New Glenn rocket’s first-stage booster.

The company posted an image Thursday of the seven BE-4 engines in place at the base of the booster, which the company has playfully named “So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance,” a reference to a line spoken by Jim Carrey’s character in the 1994 film “Dumb and Dumber.”

“We have a cool history naming key Blue hardware that dates back to New Shepard,” CEO Dave Limp posted last month on social media. “No one has landed a reusable booster on the first try. Yet, we’re going for it, and humbly submit having good confidence in landing it. But like I said a couple of weeks ago, if we don’t, we’ll learn and keep trying until we do.”

Great job by the engineering, operations and engine teams on the installation (here is another view.) The seven #BE4 engines in this image will deliver more than 3.8 million pounds of thrust for #NewGlenn. Three of the seven engines gimbal to provide the control authority for New… https://t.co/sLdKggbFJm pic.twitter.com/BuFFAy1YtX read more

Newer AEB systems surpass older ones but still struggle at high speeds

Newer AEB systems surpass older ones but still struggle at high speeds

Newer automatic emergency braking systems prevent about twice the number of crashes that older models do but still fail to stop crashes at high speeds, a challenge for automakers preparing to meet a strict new federal standard for the technology.

Model-year 2024 vehicles with automatic emergency braking avoided 100 percentof forward collisions at 35 mph, a much better performance than 2017 and 2018vehicles, which avoided collisions 51percent of the time at that speed, according to research published Oct. 24 by AAA.

“AAA is very pleased to find that automatic emergency braking systems are getting significantly better, and that’s a great result for drivers and safety of the road,” said Greg Brannon, director of automotive research at AAA.

However, only three out of four test vehicles were able to avoid a collision at 45 mph, and none could avoid a collision at 55 mph.

NHTSA is requiring that all new vehicles be equipped with automatic emergency braking that can meet a high-speed requirement starting in September 2029. Vehicles must avoid a collision automatically with no manual braking for speeds of up to 50 mph. Vehicles must avoid a collision at speeds of up to 62.2 mph when a combination of the automatic emergency brake and the manual brake is engaged. read more

No end for Boeing labor strike as workers reject latest contract proposal

No end for Boeing labor strike as workers reject latest contract proposal

By DAVID KOENIG and MANUEL VALDES

SEATTLE (AP) — Boeing factory workers voted against the company’s latest contract offer and remain on the picket lines six weeks into a strike that has stopped production of the aerospace giant’s bestselling jetliners.

Local union leaders in Seattle said 64% of members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers who cast ballots Wednesday voted against accepting the contract offer.

“After 10 years of sacrifices, we still have ground to make up, and we’re hopeful to do so by resuming negotiations promptly,” Jon Holden, the head of the IAM District 751 union, said in a statement Wednesday evening. “This is workplace democracy — and also clear evidence that there are consequences when a company mistreats its workers year after year.”

A spokesperson for Boeing said officials didn’t have a comment on the vote.

  • The labor standoff comes during an already challenging year for Boeing, which became the focus of multiple federal investigations after a door panel blew off a 737 Max plane during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. read more

    For the birds: Disney pitches in for struggling Guam kingfishers

    For the birds: Disney pitches in for struggling Guam kingfishers

    Disney has a role in the attempt to get an almost-extinct species of bird called the Guam kingfisher back home and back on its feet.

    Its journey could sound like an animated Disney film: A bird – big-billed and cinnamon-colored with blue wings – is swooped up from its native land and then must depend on far-flung, well-meaning folks to return to its remote island in the Pacific Ocean.

    The tale’s villain? Invasive brown tree snakes.

    There are about 100 Guam kingfishers living in Association of Zoos and Aquariums institutions worldwide.

    “The population is very small, and there are very limited institutions that have the ability to breed and have the expertise,” said Dr. Deidre Fontenot, clinical veterinarian and animal-health operations manager for Disney’s Animal, Science and Environment team.

    Two endangered Guam kingfishers in their backstage habitat at Disney's Animal Kingdom. The species was wiped out by invasive snakes in the 1980s but is being brought back from extinction in the wild through captive breeding programs at numerous U.S. zoological parks, including Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
    Two endangered Guam kingfishers in their backstage habitat at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The species was wiped out by invasive snakes in the 1980s but is being brought back from extinction in the wild through captive breeding programs at numerous U.S. zoological parks, including Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

    “This species is extremely territorial, and they don’t do well in large aviary situations, particularly where guests are, because they can dive bomb,” she said. “They protect their territories, and they can be pretty fierce when it comes to taking care of their mates, their territories and their chicks.” read more

    Penske expands service-scheduling AI pilot nationally

    Penske expands service-scheduling AI pilot nationally

    Penske Automotive Group’s artificial intelligence platform to improve customer service and increase service and parts revenue is expanding across the auto retailer’s dealerships nationwide.