Going from high altitude to low altitude

Smallest Mac, big power Apple’s latest desktop is the cheapest ever. Starting at $500, the Mac mini is so inexpensive that it can easily power your day-to-day needs. Go a little higher-end and this itty-bitty Mac makes for the perfect home computer, whether you plan on keeping it there or not. Oh, and it’s absolutely brilliant for remote use, too. Image: James Pikover, Mashable Machined perfection Clean and sleek, the Mac mini is machined to a fine point while still remaining tiny. Even with the small frame it’s still more powerful than the standard MacBook Air, for half the price. Image: James Pikover, Mashable Plenty of ports The Mac mini comes with a slew of ports, including four USB 3.0, two Thunderbolt, HDMI, Ethernet, audio jacks, and an SD card slot. Notably missing: a DVI connector. Image: James Pikover, Mashable Upgradeable no more The Mac mini may be square, but it sits on a round disk to help expel heat and to keep the computer … [Read more...] about The latest Mac mini is low-priced, but doesn’t skimp on power

The SpaceX Starship rocket prototype, SN10, ignited its engines for a split second on Wednesday afternoon, but an issue with the launch procedure triggered an automatic abort. Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO, said the rocket had a "slightly conservative high thrust limit" but the team would recycle propellant and try again . The company is now planning to try again at around 2:30 p.m. PT and if you want to watch live, we've got you covered. These prototype tests have been coming extremely quickly for SpaceX's Starship program. Only weeks after its predecessor SN9 flew high and then crash-landed on Texas' Gulf Coast, SN10 will attempt to improve on that performance. Continue to check back here as we'll embed the livesteam for the next attempt. Alternatively, you can keep one eye on the SpaceX website , which begins a stream about five minutes prior to flight. SN10 and SN9 are the latest iterations of SpaceX and Elon Musk's Starship prototypes that the company has been developing in … [Read more...] about SpaceX Starship SN10 launch: How to watch rocket prototype fly today

If you’ve heard of fusion energy, you’ve probably heard of tokamaks. These doughnut-shaped devices are meant to cage ionized gases called plasmas in magnetic fields while heating them to the outlandish temperatures needed for hydrogen nuclei to fuse. Tokamaks are the workhorses of fusion—solid, symmetrical, and relatively straightforward to engineer—but progress with them has been plodding. Now, tokamaks’ rebellious cousin is stepping out of the shadows. In a gleaming research lab in Germany’s northeastern corner, researchers are preparing to switch on a fusion device called a stellarator, the largest ever built. The €1 billion machine, known as Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X), appears now as a 16-meter-wide ring of gleaming metal bristling with devices of all shapes and sizes, innumerable cables trailing off to unknown destinations, and technicians tinkering with it here and there. It looks a bit like Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon, towed in for repairs after a run-in with the Imperial fleet. … [Read more...] about The bizarre reactor that might save nuclear fusion

SpaceX may launch its third full-scale Starship prototype—named Serial Number 10, or SN10—as early as Wednesday from South Texas. With this vehicle, the company will seek to successfully land the Starship vehicle where the last two versions, SN8 and SN9, each failed in the final seconds of the mission to stabilize themselves for a controlled landing. Both flights ended in fire at the landing site. SpaceX founder and chief engineer Elon Musk has estimated about a 60 percent chance of success this time—which suggests the probability is a little bit higher than that, given his penchant for setting expectations. Further Reading Putting the latest Starship crash into perspective—it’s “stupidly difficult” Similar to the previous two flights, which took place in December and early February , SpaceX will launch its Starship vehicle to an altitude of about 10 km under the power of three Raptor engines. There, it will switch from its main propellant tanks to smaller ones near … [Read more...] about SpaceX set for its third major Starship flight test on Wednesday

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceshipTwo The spaceship replica was on display at the Intrepid Air and Space Museum for a few days. Image: Mashable, Will Fenstermaker Virgin Galactic’s SpaceshipTwo Front Image: Mashable, Will Fenstermaker Virgin Galactic’s SpaceshipTwo Side Image: Mashable, Will Fenstermaker Virgin Galactic’s SpaceshipTwo Back The engine Image: Mashable, Will Fenstermaker Virgin Galactic’s SpaceshipTwo Wings The spaceship folds into a kind of badminton ballcock shape. Image: Mashable, Will Fenstermaker Virgin Galactic’s SpaceshipTwo Top and Side Note that there are windows on the side and top. Image: Mashable, Will Fenstermaker Virgin Galactic’s SpaceshipTwo Art The history of flight sits on top of the spaceship. Image: Mashable, Will Fenstermaker Virgin Galactic’s SpaceshipTwo Up Close Image: Mashable, Will Fenstermaker Virgin Galactic’s SpaceshipTwo Engine View You can see the Intrepid … [Read more...] about Virgin Galactic SpaceshipTwo: What Your $250K Flight Will Feel Like