A Quest for the Skies

When Southwest flight 1380 started descending quickly and making an abrupt turn after an engine was damaged and rapid depressurization occurred in the cabin on April 17, Embry-Riddle alumnus Cory Davids, an air traffic controller with the New York Center, knew something wasn’t right.

Graduates, government and corporate partners, and university representatives were among those who attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Worldwide Europe commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 12 at the Lufthansa Training and Conference Centre in Seeheim, Germany. 

Soon you will see a new, bright light in the night sky. However, it is not a star or even a plane. According to Popular Mechanics, it’s a satellite sent to orbit by New Zealand company Rocket Lab. The small satellite, called the Humanity Star, is a carbon fibre, geodesic sphere made of 65 highly reflective panels. As it orbits, the Humanity Star spins rapidly and reflects sunlight back to Earth. Rocket Lab Founder and CEO Peter Beck hopes this satellite will encourage people to consider their place in the universe and reflect on their lives and humanity as a species. “Seldom do we as a species stop, look to the stars and realize our position in the universe as an achingly tiny speck of dust in the grandness of it all,” said Beck in a statement on the Humanity Star website. “Humanity is finite, and we won't be here forever. Yet in the face of this almost inconceivable insignificance, humanity is capable of great and kind things when we recognize we are one species, responsible for the care of each other, and our planet, together. The Humanity Star is to remind us of this.” The Humanity Star is best visible to the United States in March, so make sure to keep a look out. You can also track the Humanity Star to find out when it is most visible for your location. However, don’t wait too long. The Humanity Star will only orbit the earth for nine months, before it falls back to earth and burns up upon re-entry into the atmosphere.

Earlier this month, more than 165,000 attendees visited the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Each year, this unique conference unveils some of the most brilliant, innovative technology, along with a collection of outlandish products. Check out Digital Trends’ look at the wackiest gadgets from CES 2018. Some of our favorites include the PowerDolphin water drone, Aibo robot dog, a flying-selfie phone case, and a robot that folds your clothes.

According to a recent Popular Mechanics report, the Russian space agency has plans for an out-of-this-world tourism opportunity in 2022. Once complete, guests can stay in a luxury orbital suite at the International Space Station (ISS). The planned hotel spans approximately 50 feet and offers private cabins, bathroom facilities, exercise equipment and Wi-Fi. The trip also features a hefty price tag of $40 million per person for a one- to two-week trip. Space travelers will have the opportunity to splurge for an additional spacewalk accompanied by a professional cosmonaut or an extended month-long stay. The ISS is scheduled to retire in 2028, limiting this space tourism opportunity to a maximum of six years.   Space tourism is certainly on the horizon, with companies like Virgin Galactic and SpaceX also pursuing to blast customers into the cosmos. However, if you are interested in one of these astounding experiences, you may want to start saving now.

Thanks to General Motors, getting your coffee fix just got a little easier. This month, the automotive retailer launched its Marketplace technology, which allows drivers to order food, reserve a table at a restaurant and locate nearby gas stations from their car’s in-vehicle touchscreen. The platform also affords users other expediencies such as paying for gas from the car, finding and paying for parking, and much more. With major brands like Applebee’s, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Shell, TGI Fridays and Wingstop already on board, Marketplace offers increasing convenience at the touch of button. “The average American spends 46 minutes per day on the road driving. Leveraging connectivity and our unique data capabilities, we have an opportunity to make every trip more productive and give our customers time back,” said Santiago Chamorro, vice president for Global Connected Customer Experience, GM. “Marketplace is the first of a suite of new personalization features that we will roll out over the next 12 to 18 months to nearly four million U.S. drivers.” Marketplace is designed for use while driving and is available in Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles with compatible infotainment systems. The platform utilizes the car’s embedded 4G LTE connectivity and does not require a separate data plan.