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The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and the over-reliance on PowerPoint (2019)

We’ve all sat in those presentations. A speaker with a stream of slides full of text, monotonously reading them off as we read along. We’re so used to it we expect it. We accept it. We even consider it ‘learning’. As an educator I push against ‘death by PowerPoint’ and I'm fascinated with how we can improve the way we present and teach. The fact is we know that PowerPoint kills. Most often the only victims are our audience’s inspiration and interest. This, however, is the story of a PowerPoint s

Death by PowerPoint: the slide that killed seven people

We’ve all sat in those presentations. A speaker with a stream of slides full of text, monotonously reading them off as we read along. We’re so used to it we expect it. We accept it. We even consider it ‘learning’. As an educator I push against ‘death by PowerPoint’ and I'm fascinated with how we can improve the way we present and teach. The fact is we know that PowerPoint kills. Most often the only victims are our audience’s inspiration and interest. This, however, is the story of a PowerPoint s

With Starship, SpaceX encounters an obstacle that haunted NASA’s space shuttles

Eventually, SpaceX wants to catch ships coming back from space with big mechanical arms on the launch pad, similar to the way SpaceX has shown it can recover the rocket's huge Super Heavy booster. This would allow SpaceX to theoretically stack a freshly flown ship on top of a booster right on the launch pad, then quickly refuel it and launch it again. There are plenty of things SpaceX must prove before the company is able to do this. But SpaceX has already demonstrated it can handle some of the

Physics of badminton's new killer spin serve

Serious badminton players are constantly exploring different techniques to give them an edge over opponents. One of the latest innovations is the spin serve, a devastatingly effective method in which a player adds a pre-spin just before the racket contacts the shuttlecock (aka the birdie). It's so effective—some have called it "impossible to return"—that the Badminton World Federation (BWF) banned the spin serve in 2023, at least until after the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. The sanction wasn

Physics of badminton’s new killer spin serve

Serious badminton players are constantly exploring different techniques to give them an edge over opponents. One of the latest innovations is the spin serve, a devastatingly effective method in which a player adds a pre-spin just before the racket contacts the shuttlecock (aka the birdie). It's so effective—some have called it "impossible to return"—that the Badminton World Federation (BWF) banned the spin serve in 2023, at least until after the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. The sanction wasn

NASA Approves Ted Cruz’s Plan to Move a Space Shuttle to Houston, Setting Up a Fight With the Smithsonian

NASA has selected a yet-to-be-named Space Shuttle to move to Houston, conceding to a long-running bid by Texas senators to house one of the iconic vehicles. If the chosen vehicle is Discovery—which it likely is—the Smithsonian, which houses the vehicle, may put up a fight. The Trump administration included the shuttle’s relocation in the budget reconciliation bill, signed it into law on July 4, and set aside $85 million for the move and construction of a new facility in Houston. At the time, Te

Lyft to add autonomous shuttles in 2026 as Uber inks more self-driving deals

Lyft will add autonomous shuttles made by Austrian manufacturer Benteler Group to its network in late 2026, the company announced Friday. The shuttles will be deployed in partnership with U.S. cities and airports, according to Lyft, but could expand out from there if things go well. The partnership will let Lyft use urban electric shuttles made by Benteler’s mobility division under the Holon brand. The shuttles will not have a steering wheel or pedals and will feature inward-facing seats for up

“It’s a heist”: Senator calls out Texas for trying to steal shuttle from Smithsonian

A political effort to remove space shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian and place it on display in Texas encountered some pushback on Thursday, as a US senator questioned the expense of carrying out what he described as a theft. "This is not a transfer. It's a heist," said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) during a budget markup hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee. "A heist by Texas because they lost a competition 12 years ago." In April, Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, bot

Ted Cruz’s Bid to Reclaim Space Shuttle Discovery Could Cost $400 Million

At a time when money is too tight for NASA’s science exploration endeavors, Texas senators are willing to pour millions into a risky process to relocate the Space Shuttle to Houston under the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill. President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill, which passed the Senate on Tuesday, includes a provision to move the Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum in Virginia to Space Center Houston. The Bring the Space Shuttle Home Act was added to t

Rocket Engines That Flew 22 Space Shuttle Missions Are Ready for NASA’s Next Moon Mission

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) is ready to fly with its four shuttle-era engines. The rocket, outfitted with the RS-25 engines, recently passed a critical milestone that put the integrated system to the test, using a decades-old design on a new launch vehicle. NASA teams successfully completed the RS-25 engine checkout tests at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ensuring seamless communication between the SLS core stage and its engines ahead of the first crewed mission to the lunar environm

Topics: 25 engines rs shuttle sls

Researchers teach robot to play badminton using Nvidia RTX machine learning

Why it matters: Ever since Boston Dynamics first showcased its famous legged robots in 2013, numerous organizations have introduced machines that autonomously perform various professional and recreational activities. The latest research utilizes badminton to develop a robot's agility and coordination, which could help advance training methods and maneuverability. Scientists at ETH Zürich recently published a study and video (below) explaining how they trained a quadrupedal robot to play badmint