Short Takes – 8-24-24

‘This is how Toyota knows if your GR Corolla went over 85 mph to void warranty’: Expert reveals how to remove the GPS tracker the dealership puts on your car. DailyDot.com article. Pull quote: ““So yeah there you go. Toyota is tracking your car wherever you go,” he shares. “If that’s something you guys signed up for for lo jack definitely just leave that alone.” He did provide a repeat warning, however, reminding his viewers that these modules can cause battery drain.”

Zapping sand to create rock could help curb coastal erosion. ScienceNews.org article. Pull quote: “But sending low voltage electricity through waterlogged sands can induce the formation of minerals that help bind the sediments, Rotta Loria and his colleagues report online August 22 in Communications Earth & Environment. The components of the minerals are already dissolved in the seawater, the researchers note.”

NASA Decides to Bring Starliner Spacecraft Back to Earth Without Crew. NASA.gov news-release. Pull quote: “NASA and SpaceX currently are working several items before launch, including reconfiguring seats on the Crew-9 Dragon, and adjusting the manifest to carry additional cargo, personal effects, and Dragon-specific spacesuits for Wilmore and Williams. In addition, NASA and SpaceX now will use new facilities at Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to launch Crew-9, which provides increased operational flexibility around NASA’s planned Europa Clipper launch.”

NASA Extends Boeing Starliner Astronauts’ Space Station Stay to 2025. NYTimes.com article. Pull quote: ““These clusters have experienced more stress, more heating,” Mr. Stich said, “and so there’s a little bit more concern for how they would perform during the deorbit burn, holding the orientation of the vehicle, and then also the maneuvers required after that.”

Notice of President's National Infrastructure Advisory Council Meeting. Federal Register DHS-NIAC meeting notice. Agenda: “The National Infrastructure Advisory Council will meet on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT to discuss NIAC activities. The open session will include: (1) a keynote address on critical infrastructure security and resilience;(2) a period for public comment; (3) subcommittee updates and member discussion.” Watch ‘NIAC Meetings and Resources’ page for upcoming agenda and previous meeting notes.

‘I hope I get the opportunity to fly’: Meet Paralympian-turned-astronaut John McFall. Nature.com article. Pull quote: “We also looked at the requirements of spacecraft and ISS operations — for example, assessing whether I can undertake all the safety and emergency procedures in the spacecraft. We did some parabolic, zero-gravity flights to look at whether I could move around in microgravity. And we did some assessments to make sure that my prosthesis would still fit and still be comfortable irrespective of changes in the size of my stump, because of the shift of fluid that you get in microgravity.”

This startup wants to find out if humans can have babies in space. TechnologyReview.com article. Pull quote: “Now Edelbroek is CEO of SpaceBorn United, a biotech startup seeking to pioneer the study of human reproduction away from Earth. Next year, he plans to send a mini lab on a rocket into low Earth orbit, where in vitro fertilization, or IVF, will take place. If it succeeds, Edelbroek hopes his work could pave the way for future space settlements.”