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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — NASA was in a position it had not been for more than half a century with both the Artemis II and Crew-12 astronauts preparing for potential launches this month.

“It’s a pretty exciting time in human spaceflight. For the first time in over 60 years, we have two crews in quarantine,” said NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich during a preview press conference last week.

With a delay in Artemis II to no earlier than March because of problems with the rocket’s wet dress rehearsal, though, its crew postponed the preparation and the SpaceX commercial crew mission to the International Space Station now has first dibs on getting to space.

Commanded by NASA astronaut Jessica Meir making her second spaceflight, Crew-12 includes fellow NASA astronaut and pilot Jack Hathaway on his first flight, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, also a first-time flyer, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, making his second trip to space.

“We love this kind of balance that we have of two veterans and two rookies to hit the ground running when we get aboard,” said Meir, a member of NASA’s 2013 class of astronauts who flew to the station in 2019 aboard a Soyuz spending 204 days in space. read more

By JESSICA HILL

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Elon Musk’s “Vegas Loop,” a network of underground tunnels to ferry passengers in Teslas, was under fresh scrutiny this week from Nevada lawmakers who raised concern about alleged workplace safety and environmental violations.

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Lawmakers spent hours grilling state safety officials over alleged violations by the Boring Company, the Musk-owned venture with tunneling projects also planned in Nashville and Dubai. Company officials declined to attend but provided written answers defending the project.

“I think they are a company that acts like they are kind of above the law and want to play by their own set of rules,” Democratic Assemblymember Howard Watts, whose district includes the tunnel project, told The Associated Press. read more

Last year, the IRS issued final regulations related to limits set by the SECURE 2.0 Act to pre-tax contributions that employees aged 50 or older can add to their 401(k) plan as of January 1 this year.

The IRS determined that employees 50 and older who participate in a 401(k), 403(b) or 457(b) plan, who are subject to FICA, who receive a W-2 statement, and who earned more than $150,000 in the prior year and work for the same employer, are no longer able to make pre-tax catch-up contributions to their retirement plan. However, these employees can make catch-up contributions on a Roth basis, if the employer offers that option.

In 2026, anybody participating in a 401(k), 403(b) or 457(b) plan can make a pre-tax contribution of $24,500. Those aged 50 and over are allowed to add catch-up contributions to this limit. Individuals aged 50-59 (and 64 and older) can add up to $8,000. Individuals aged 60-63 can add up to $11,250. These limits are generally increased each year based on inflation.

However, self-employed individuals, partners and sole proprietors would still be able to make pre-tax catch-up contributions to their Solo 401(k) plans. The restriction also does not apply to Simple IRA or SEP IRA plans. read more

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS and HALLIE GOLDEN

A federal jury has ordered Uber to pay $8.5 million to a woman who says one of its drivers raped her during a 2023 trip.

Uber has faced criticism for its safety record, much of it spanning from thousands of incidents of sexual assault reported by both passengers and drivers. Because drivers on the ridesharing platform are categorized as gig workers — working as contractors, rather than company employees — Uber has long maintained that its not liable for their misconduct.

Thursday’s verdict, reached in Arizona, “validates the thousands of survivors who have come forward at great personal risk to demand accountability against Uber,” said Sarah London, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiff — who said the company has put the “focus on profit over passenger safety.”

Uber said it plans to appeal the jury’s decision, and noted that the jury did not find the company to be negligent, nor that its safety systems were “defective.” read more

Walt Disney World has confirmed that its Frozen Ever After ride will reopen at Epcot on Feb. 12, sporting familiar (but updated) faces on the key animatronic figures of Elsa, Anna and Kristoff.

The attraction has been closed since Jan. 26, and the effects area are currently being tested in anticipation of their debuts.

“I was in awe and got chills seeing Elsa, because it’s literally like she stepped off the screen and it’s standing in front of you now. You will notice the improvement,” said Ken Ricci, executive creative development. He oversees show quality for Imagineering at Walt Disney World.

The change for the heads of three of the attraction’s figures comes with advancements in technology, he said.

“This is a more lifelike articulated head that has a silicone skin,” Ricci said. In the past, their faces were created with projections.

Disney: Theme parks set quarterly revenue record to the tune of $10 billion

“The technology advanced, and there was opportunity to improve the quality of the show and the guest experience,” he said. “As we saw these figures progress for [Disney parks in] Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong, we saw that as an opportunity to leverage that technology for Walt Disney World.” read more