ARAB TIMES, SUNDAY, AUGUST 1, 2021 SCIENCE 11

Space

Russia blames software Bezos loses ‘appeal’ of NASA lunar plans NEW YORK, July 31, (AP): The federal government Friday rejected an appeal by billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to get in on NASA’s plans to return to the moon by using rival Elon Musk’s SpaceX. NASA in April awarded the $2.9 billion contract for a lunar lander to the more established SpaceX, which also offered a cheaper price than the bids from Blue Origin and Dynetics Inc, a subsidiary of Leidos. The two losing companies appealed the contract to the Government Accountability Offi ce on the grounds that there should have been multiple contracts and that the proposals weren’t evaluated correctly, but the agency rejected their request. The decision will allow “NASA and SpaceX to establish a timeline for the fi rst crewed landing on the moon in more than 50 years,” NASA said in a statement Friday, calling a moon landing a priority of the Biden administration. Friday’s ruling found that even though NASA originally said it was go- ing to give multiple contracts, it didn’t have enough money and that awarding only one contract was legal. Plus, it found NASA’s evaluation of all three bids “was reasonable, and consistent with applicable procurement law regu- lation and the announcement terms,” according to a statement by GAO law- yer Kenneth Patton. SpaceX’s bid had the highest rating while the other bids “were signifi cantly Bezos higher in price” with the space agency deciding it couldn’t afford to give out multiple contracts as originally planned, the GAO announcement said. Blue Origin, which has been trying to get Congress to re- In this June 9, 2021 file photo, a nurse gives a shot of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 to a pregnant woman in Montevideo, Uruguay. Two obstetricians’ groups are quire a second lander contract, still hopes NASA will change now recommending COVID-19 shots for all pregnant women, citing concerns over rising cases and low vaccination rates. The American College of Obstetricians and its mind and provide “simultaneous competition,” said com- Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine said vaccinations in tens of thousands of pregnant women have shown the shots are safe and effective. (AP) pany spokesperson Linda Mills. “We stand fi rm in our belief that there were fundamental issues with NASA’s decision, but the GAO wasn’t able to ad- dress them due to their limited jurisdiction,” Mills said in a Coronavirus statement. “We continue to advocate for two immediate pro- viders as we believe it is the right solution.” Contract The lunar lander is part of the agency’s beyond-Earth explo- Obstetricians recommend COVID vaccine during pregnancy ration plans, refocused on the moon by the Trump administra- tion. The Artemis program involves a new huge rocket that would launch four astronauts aboard an Orion space capsule to the moon’s orbit. The lander would take two astronauts to the Vaccinated people can spread virus moon’s surface, where they’d explore for about a week, hook back up with Orion in lunar orbit and return to Earth. NEW YORK, July 31, (AP): In an- tors and other health workers. Researchers ran tests on a portion of The SpaceX lander, called Starship, “includes a spacious other dispiriting setback for the na- The delta variant, fi rst detected in them and found roughly the same level cabin” and can be expanded to a fully reusable launch sys- tion’s efforts to stamp out the coro- India, causes infections that are more of virus in those who were fully vac- tem for travel to the moon, Mars and other places, NASA said navirus, scientists who studied a big contagious than the common cold, fl u, cinated and those who were not. when it awarded the contract. COVID-19 outbreak in Massachusetts smallpox and the Ebola virus, and it is Three-quarters of the infections A test fl ight of the capsule, without astronauts aboard, is concluded that vaccinated people who as infectious as chickenpox, according were in fully vaccinated individuals. scheduled for this year, with a test fl ight by astronauts to the got so-called breakthrough infections to the documents, which mentioned the Among those fully vaccinated, about moon — but without a landing — planned for 2023, according carried about the same amount of the Provincetown cases. 80% experienced symptoms with the to NASA. coronavirus as those who did not get The documents were obtained by most common being cough, headache, ❑ ❑ ❑ the shots. The Washington Post. As they note, sore throat, muscle aches and fever. Health offi cials on Friday released COVID-19 vaccines are still highly ef- Dagenais said he started to feel A Russian space offi cial on Friday blamed a software prob- details of that research, which was key fective against the delta variant at pre- ill the evening he returned home and lem on a newly docked science lab for briefl y knocking the in this week’s decision by the Centers venting serious illness and death. initially chalked it up to long nights International Space Station out of position. In this Jan 12, 2019 file photo, the for Disease Control and Prevention The Provincetown outbreak and the of partying in packed Provincetown The space station lost control of its orientation for 47 min- SpaceX prototype Starship hopper to recommend that vaccinated people documents highlight the enormous nightclubs. utes on Thursday, when ’s Nauka science lab acciden- stands at the Boca Chica Beach site in return to wearing masks indoors in challenge the CDC faces in encourag- But as the days wore on and the fe- tally fi red its thrusters a few hours after docking, pushing the Texas. Jeff Bezos has lost his appeal parts of the US where the delta vari- ing vaccination while acknowledging ver, chills, muscle aches and fatigue orbiting complex from its normal confi guration. The station’s of NASA’s contract with Elon Musk’s ant is fueling infection surges. The that breakthrough cases can occur and set in, he knew it was something more. position is key for getting power from solar panels and for SpaceX to build its new moon lander. The Government Accountability Office, authors said the fi ndings suggest that can be contagious but are uncommon. In the report, the measure research- communications with space support teams back on Earth. The the CDC’s mask guidance should be The documents appear to be talking ers used to assess how much virus an space station’s communications with ground controllers also July 30, ruled that NASA’s award of the $2.9 billion contract to just SpaceX was expanded to include the entire country, points for CDC staff to use with the pub- infected person is carrying does not in- blipped out twice for a few minutes on Thursday. even outside of hot spots. lic. One point advised: “Acknowledge dicate whether they are actually trans- Vladimir Solovyov legal and proper. (AP) , fl ight director of the space station’s The fi ndings have the potential to the war has changed,” an apparent ref- mitting the virus to other people, said Russian segment, blamed the incident on a “short-term soft- upend past thinking about how the dis- erence to deepening concern that many Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at ware failure.” In a statement released Friday by the Russian ease is spread. Previously, vaccinated space agency , Solovyov said because of the fail- millions of vaccinated people could be a the University of Saskatchewan. people who got infected were thought ure, a direct command to turn on the lab’s engines was mistak- source of wide-ranging spread. CDC offi cials say more data is com- enly implemented. to have low levels of virus and to be An agency spokeswoman declined ing. They are tracking breakthrough He added the incident was “quickly countered by the pro- unlikely to pass it to others. But the to comment on the documents. cases as part of much larger studies new data shows that is not the case that involve following tens of thou- pulsion system” of another Russian component at the station Guidelines and “at the moment, the station is in its normal orientation” with the delta variant. sands of vaccinated and unvaccinated and all its systems “are operating normally.” The outbreak in Provincetown - a The White House on Friday defend- people across the country over time. seaside tourist spot on Cape Cod in the ed its approach to rising virus cases Roscosmos director Dmitry Rogozin later Friday suggested Also: that “human factor” may have been at play. county with Massachusetts’ highest and shifting public health guidelines, “There was such euphoria (after Nauka successfully docked vaccination rate - has so far included repeatedly deferred to the CDC while NEW YORK: Two leading obstetri- with the space station), people relaxed to some extent,” Ro- more than 900 cases. About three- stressing the need for vaccinations. cians’ groups on Friday recommend- gozin said in a radio interview. “Perhaps one of the operators Turner Reitner quarters of them were people who “The most important takeaway is ed COVID-19 shots for all pregnant didn’t take into account that the control system of the block were fully vaccinated. actually pretty simple. We need more women, citing concerns over rising will continue to adjust itself in space. And it determined a Travis Dagenais, who was among people to get vaccinated,” White cases and low vaccination rates. moment three hours after (the docking) and turned on the en- the many vaccinated people infected, House spokeswoman Karine Jean- The American College of Obstetri- gines.” Discovery said “throwing caution to the wind” Pierre said. cians and Gynecologists and the Soci- NASA said Thursday that the incident moved the station 45 and partying in crowds for long nights Pressed about the changing guid- ety for Maternal-Fetal Medicine said degrees out of attitude, about one-eighth of a complete circle, over the July Fourth holiday was a ance, Jean-Pierre repeatedly said, “We vaccinations in tens of thousands of but the complex was never spinning, there was no immediate UK could hit 40 Celsius: Britain has mistake in hindsight. don’t make those types of decisions pregnant women over the past several damage or danger to the crew. become wetter and warmer as a result “The dominant public messaging from here.” months have shown the shots are safe The incident caused NASA to postpone a repeat test fl ight of climate change, with the country’s 10 has been that the vaccine means a re- People with breakthrough infec- and effective during pregnancy. for Boeing’s crew capsule that had been set for Friday af- hottest years in more than a century oc- turn to normal,” the 35-year-old Boston tions make up an increasing portion of COVID-19 during pregnancy in- ternoon from Florida. It will be Boeing’s second attempt to curring since 2002, a report by leading resident said Thursday. “Unfortunately, hospitalizations and in-hospital deaths creases risks for severe complications reach the 250-mile-high (400-kilometer-high) station before meteorologists has said. I’ve now learned it’s a few steps toward among COVID-19 patients, coinciding and can also increase chances for pre- putting astronauts on board. Software problems botched the The annual “State of the UK Climate” normal, not the zero-to-sixty that we with the spread of the delta variant, ac- term birth. US government data show fi rst test. report, published in the International seem to have undertaken.” cording to the leaked documents. only about 16% of pregnant women Russia’s long-delayed 22-ton (20-metric-ton) lab called Journal of Climatology, said 2020 was Dagenais credits being vaccinated Although experts generally agreed have received one or more doses of the the fi fth wettest and third warmest year on with easing the worst of the fl u-like with the CDC’s revised indoor mask- COVID-19 vaccine. Nauka arrived earlier Thursday, eight days after it launched record stretching back to the 19th century. from the Russian launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. symptoms in a couple of days. He has ing stance, some said the report on the The two groups had previously said Last year’s average winter temperature recovered. Provincetown outbreak does not prove pregnant people shouldn’t be excluded Delayed was 5.3 degrees Celsius (41.5 degrees Like many states, Massachusetts that vaccinated people are a signifi cant from vaccination but stopped short of Fahrenheit), 1.6 degrees Celsius higher The launch of Nauka, which will provide more room for than the 1981 to 2010 average. lifted all COVID-19 restrictions in late source of new infections. endorsing the shots. scientifi c experiments and space for the crew, had been repeat- The summer temperature was 0.4 de- May, ahead of the traditional Memo- “There’s scientifi c plausibility for The president of the OB-GYN edly delayed because of technical problems. It was initially grees above average at 14.8 C (58.6 F), rial Day start of the summer season. the (CDC) recommendation. But it’s group, Dr Martin Tucker, said in a scheduled to go up in 2007. with temperatures hitting 34 C (93.2 F) Provincetown this week reinstated an not derived from this study,” said Jen- statement that doctors should enthusi- In 2013, experts found contamination in its fuel system, re- for six consecutive days in August 2020. indoor mask requirement for everyone. nifer Nuzzo, a Johns Hopkins Univer- astically recommend the shots to their sulting in a long and costly replacement. Other Nauka systems The report said summer temperatures in Leaked internal documents on sity public health researcher. patients. also underwent modernization or repairs. Britain were likely to hit 40 C (104 F) in breakthrough infections and the delta The CDC report is based on about Dr Emily Miller, obstetrics chief at Stretching 43 feet (13 meters) long, Nauka became the fi rst the coming years, even if the world meets variant suggest the CDC may be con- 470 COVID-19 cases linked to the Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, said new compartment for the Russian segment of the outpost since its goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 sidering other changes in advice on Provincetown festivities, which in- she hopes the new recommendation “will 2010. On Monday, one of the older Russian units, the Pirs degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. how the nation fi ghts the coronavirus, cluded densely packed indoor and help pregnant people feel more confi dent spacewalking compartment, undocked from the station to free The highest temperature ever recorded such as recommending masks for eve- outdoor holiday events at bars, restau- in their decision to get the COVID-19 up room for the new lab. in the UK is 38.7 C (101.7 F), registered ryone and requiring vaccines for doc- rants, guest houses and rental homes. vaccine as soon as possible.” Nauka will require many maneuvers, including up to 11 in Cambridge in July 2019. spacewalks beginning in early September, to prepare it for Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, said the operation. world was already seeing extreme heat as pany, denied that and suggested it was part Canadian geologist may have found the mountains was a prehistoric marine en- According to Solovyov, on Friday the crew was busy equal- a result of warming of 1.1 to 1.2 degrees of a campaign by an unspecifi ed rival com- earliest fossil record of animal life on vironment where the remains of ancient izing the pressure in Nauka and planned to open the hatch to Celsius above pre-industrial levels. (AP) pany to damage Rawson’s reputation.(AP) Earth, according to a report published in sponges may be preserved in mineral the lab later in the day. ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ the journal Nature. sediment, the paper says. The space station is currently operated by NASA astronauts Around a billion years ago, a region of Geologist Elizabeth Turner discov- Mark Vande Hei, and Megan McAr- Pink lagoon setting off alarms: ‘Earliest animal fossil’ found: A northwest Canada now defi ned by steep ered the rocks in a remote region of the thur; Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov of Russia’s Roscos- A bright pink lagoon is setting off red Northwest Territories accessible only by mos space corporation; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency alarms for environmentalists in southern helicopter, where she has been excavat- and European Space Agency as- Argentina. ing since the 1980s. Thin sections of rock tronaut . The pond is one of several located contain three-dimensional structures that In 1998, Russia launched the station’s fi rst compartment, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the resemble modern sponge skeletons. Zarya, which was followed in 2000 by another big piece, city of Trelew used by local industries for “I believe these are ancient sponges - Zvezda, and three smaller modules in the following years. The releasing chemicals or treated water. only this type of organism has this type Pablo Lada, a member of the Soci- of network of organic fi laments,” said last of them, Rassvet, arrived at the station in 2010. oEnvironmental Assemblies of Chubut Joachim Reitner, a geobiologist and ex- Russia’s long-delayed lab module successfully docked with province called Friday for an independent pert in sponges at Germany’s University the International Space Station on Thursday, eight days after analysis to determine what is to blame. of Gottingen, who was not involved in the it was launched from the Russian space launch facility in Bai- Landa said the water had taken on a research. konur, Kazakhstan. rosy hue before, but “now it is striking; The dating of adjacent rock layers in- The 20-metric-ton (22-ton) Nauka module, also called the it is an intense pink.” He said specialists dicates the samples are about 890 million Multipurpose Laboratory Module, docked with the orbiting suspect it’s caused by sodium sulfi te, used years old, which would make them about outpost in an automatic mode after a long journey and a series to help preserve shellfi sh. 350 million years older than the oldest un- of maneuvers. Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, confi rmed Provincial offi cials have said they ex- disputed sponge fossils previously found. the module’s contact with the International Space Station at pect the color to disappear in a few days. “What’s most stunning is the timing,” 13:29 GMT. Some local media have blamed a con- said Paco Cardenas, an expert on sponges The launch of Nauka, which is intended to provide more sortium from the regional capital of Raw- at Sweden’s Uppsala University, who room for scientifi c experiments and space for the crew, had son, suggesting it dumped chemicals there was not involved in the research. “To been repeatedly delayed because of technical problems. It was because neighbors closer had complained This photo provided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on July 28, shows a have discovered sponge fossils from close initially scheduled to go up in 2007. about the smell. portion of the Epic of Gilgamesh that was looted from Iraq and sold for $1.6 million to 900 million years ago will greatly im- But Adriana Sanz, in charge of water to Hobby Lobby for display in the Museum of the Bible. A federal judge in New York prove our understanding of early animal treatment for the Rawson Ambiental com- has approved the forfeiture of the 3,500-year-old clay tablet. (AP) evolution.” (AP)