Science and Technology

[Fox News] China launches lunar probe to take samples from far side of the moon

China on Friday launched a lunar probe to land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side.

It is the latest advance in China’s increasingly sophisticated space exploration program, which is now competing with the U.S., still the leader in space.

China also has a three-member crew on its own orbiting space station and aims to put astronauts on the moon by 2030. Three Chinese lunar probe missions are planned over the next four years.

JAPAN’S MOON LANDER HAS SURVIVED LONGER THAN THE SPACE AGENCY EXPECTED AFTER REACHING 3 MONTHS ON THE MOON

Free from exposure to Earth and other interference, the moon’s somewhat mysterious far side is ideal for radio astronomy and other scientific work. Because the far side never faces Earth, a relay satellite is needed to maintain communications.

The rocket carrying the Chang’e-6 lunar probe — named after the Chinese mythical moon goddess — lifted off Friday at 5:27 p.m. as planned from the Wenchang launch center on the island province of Hainan. About 35 minutes later it separated entirely from the massive Long March-5 rocket — China’s largest — that had slung it into space, as technicians monitoring the launch from ground control smiled and applauded.

Shortly afterward, launch mission commander Zhang Zuosheng took to a podium at the front of the room and said the launch had gone off exactly as planned and the spacecraft was on its set trajectory. “I declare this launch mission a complete success,” Zhang said to further applause.

The Philippine Space Agency issued a statement saying expected debris from the rocket launch was “projected to have fallen within the identified drop zones.”

China in 2021 was forced to defend its handling of a rocket booster that burned up over the Indian Ocean after the administrator of the American space agency and others accused Beijing of acting recklessly by allowing its rocket to fall to Earth seemingly uncontrolled after the mission.

Huge numbers of people crowded Hainan’s beaches to view the launch, which comes in the middle of China’s five-day May Day holiday. As with previous recent launches, the event was televised live by state broadcaster CCTV.

After orbiting the moon to reduce speed, the lander will separate from the spacecraft and within 48 hours of setting down it will begin drilling into the lunar surface and scooping up samples with its robotic arm. With the samples sealed in a container, it will then reconnect with the returner for the trip back to Earth. The entire mission is set to last 53 days.

China in 2020 returned samples from the moon’s near side, the first time anyone has done so since the U.S. Apollo program that ended in the 1970s. Analysis of the samples found they contained water in tiny beads embedded in lunar dirt.

APRIL’S PINK MOON CAPTURED ON FULL DISPLAY OVER CHESAPEAKE BAY

Also in the past week, three Chinese astronauts returned home from a six-month mission on the country’s orbiting space station after the arrival of its replacement crew.

China built its own space station after being excluded from the International Space Station, largely because of U.S. concerns over the Chinese military’s total control of the space program amid a sharpening competition in technology between the two geopolitical rivals. U.S. law bars almost all cooperation between the U.S. and Chinese space programs without explicit congressional approval.

Faced with such limitations, China has expanded cooperation with other countries and agencies. The latest mission carries scientific instruments from France, Italy and the European Space Agency in cooperation with Sweden. A small Pakistani satellite is also on board.

China’s ambitious space program aims to put astronauts on the moon by 2030, as well as bring back samples from Mars around the same year and launch three lunar probe missions over the next four years. The next is scheduled for 2027.

Longer-term plans call for a permanent crewed base on the lunar surface, although those appear to remain in the conceptual phase.

China conducted its first crewed space mission in 2003, becoming the third country after the former Soviet Union and the U.S. to put a person into space using its own resources.

The three-module Tiangong, much smaller than the ISS, was launched in 2021 and completed 18 months later. It can accommodate up to six astronauts at a time and is mainly dedicated to scientific research. The crew will also install space debris protection equipment, carry out payload experiments, and beam science classes to students on Earth.

China has also said that it eventually plans to offer access to its space station to foreign astronauts and space tourists. With the ISS nearing the end of its useful life, China could eventually be the only country or corporation to maintain a crewed station in orbit.

The U.S. space program is believed to still hold a significant edge over China’s due to its spending, supply chains and capabilities.

The U.S. aims to put a crew back on the lunar surface by the end of 2025 as part of a renewed commitment to crewed missions, aided by private sector players such as SpaceX and Blue Origin. They plan to land on the moon’s south pole where permanently shadowed craters are believed to be packed with frozen water.

Read More 

Science and Technology

[Fox News] US Air Force Secretary Kendall flies in cockpit of plane controlled by AI

U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall rode in the cockpit of a fighter jet on Friday, which flew over the desert in California and was controlled by artificial intelligence.

Last month, Kendall announced his plans to fly in an AI-controlled F-16 to the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense panel, while speaking about the future of air warfare being dependent on autonomously operated drones.

On Friday, the senior Air Force leader followed through with his plans, making what could be one of the biggest advances in military aviation since stealth planes were introduced in the early 1990s.

Kendall flew to Edwards Air Force Base – the same desert facility where Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier – to watch and experience AI flight in real time.

US MILITARY ‘OUT OF TIME’ IN PUSH AGAINST ADVERSARIES’ MODERNIZATION, AIR FORCE SECRETARY SAYS

After the flight, Kendall spoke with the Associated Press about the technology and the role it will play in air combat.

“It’s a security risk not to have it. At this point, we have to have it,” the secretary said.

The Associated Press and NBC were granted permission to watch the secret flight with the agreement that neither would report on the matter until the flight was complete, due to security concerns.

AIR FORCE SECRETARY PLANS TO RIDE IN AI-OPERATED F-16 FIGHTER AIRCRAFT THIS SPRING

The F-16 controlled by AI is called Vista, and it flew Kendall in maneuvers reaching over 550 mph, putting pressure on his body of nearly five times the force of gravity.

Flying alongside Vista and Kendall was a human-piloted F-16, and the two jets raced within 1,000 feet of each other performing twists and loops, in an effort to force their opponent into a place of submission.

Kendall grinned as he climbed out of the cockpit after the hour-long flight, saying he saw enough to trust the AI technology in deciding whether to fire weapons during a war.

PENTAGON SEEKS LOW-COST AI DRONES TO BOLSTER AIR FORCE: HERE ARE THE COMPANIES COMPETING FOR THE OPPORTUNITY

Many oppose the idea of computers making that decision, fearing AI may one day be able to drop bombs on people without consulting with humans.

The same people who oppose AI-powered war machines are also seeking greater restrictions on its use.

One of the groups seeking stronger restrictions is the International Committee of the Red Cross.

“There are widespread and serious concerns about ceding life-and-death decisions to sensors and software,” the group warned, adding the autonomous weapons “are an immediate cause of concern and demand an urgent, international political response.”

EUROPE SEEKS TO BECOME ‘GLOBAL REFERENCE POINT’ WITH AI OFFICE

Still, Kendall says human oversight will always be at play when weapons are considered.

The Air Force is planning to have an AI-enabled fleet of over 1,000 AI-operated drones, with the first being in operation by 2028.

In March, the Pentagon said it was looking to develop new artificial intelligence-guided planes, offering two contracts for several private companies to compete against each other to obtain.

The Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) project is part of a $6 billion program that will add at least 1,000 new drones to the Air Force. The drones will be designed to deploy alongside human-piloted jets and provide cover for them, acting as escorts with full weapons capabilities. The drones could also act as scouts or communications hubs, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

The companies bidding for the contract include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics and Anduril Industries.

Cost-cutting is one of the elements of AI that appeals to the Pentagon for pursuing the project.

In August 2023, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said deploying AI-enabled autonomous vehicles would provide “small, smart, cheap and many” expendable units to the U.S. military, helping overhaul the “too-slow shift of U.S. military innovation.”

But the idea is to not fall too far behind China, which has modernized its air defense systems, which are much more sophisticated and put manned planes at risk when they get too close.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Drones have the potential of interrupting such defense systems and could be used to jam them or provide surveillance for crews.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read More 

Business

[Fox Business] Popular Los Angeles vegan restaurant to add meat, dairy to dishes: ‘I’ve changed my mind’ on vegan diet

A popular Los Angeles vegan restaurant recently announced it plans to add meat to its menu. 

Sage Plant Based Bistro will become Sage Regenerative Kitchen & Brewery and will add animal products, including beef, bison, cheese and eggs, to its menu starting on May 29.

Owner Mollie Engelhart announced the move in an Earth Day Instagram message, explaining the focus of the restaurant would shift to focus on regenerative agriculture, which is an approach to farming that prioritizes soil health, biodiversity and natural processes, according to the Regenerative Farmers of America. 

“To some, this may seem shocking or upsetting, but if you look at the last seven years of my life and as I moved into regenerative farming to serve the highest quality food to my customers, I started to learn so much about soil and nature and I realized that when I started Sage Plant Based Bistro, I thought a vegan diet was what was best,” she said. “After 7 years of regenerative farming … I’ve changed my mind.”

“I want to create a restaurant that honors these small farms, these regenerative farmers that are trying to do the right thing when our whole food system is being completely centralized into factory farming and monoculture vegetables,” she continued. 

USDA APPROVES FIRST ‘LAB-GROWN’ MEAT TO BE SOLD TO THE PUBLIC

Engelhart faced backlash on social media following the announcement on Instagram. The post has garnered almost 4,500 comments with many users expressing disappointment or disgust at the decision. 

“I understand their passion and I understand their sadness and I understand their anger,” Engelhart told the Los Angeles Times. “I had the same views of the world that they did before I shifted my ideas based on my experience in farming, and I have compassion for what they’re feeling. I hope that the vegan community and the regenerative community can really come together because I think they’re both powerful, powerful pathways for change.

“It’s vulnerable to publicly say, ‘I believed one thing, and maybe I was wrong, and now I believe something else,’ but I hope that it inspires people in their own lives to be willing to be open-minded when something else makes more sense to you,” she added. 

VEGAN EGG MARKET PROJECTED TO GROW BY NEARLY $1 BILLION BEFORE 2028: REPORT

Engelhart told the outlet that she contemplated the decision for 18 months because she knew she would face “vitriol” for doing so. She also said her restaurants have struggled post-pandemic. In the past, the restaurants would bring in $7 million annually, but since 2020 they haven’t been profitable. 

VEGETARIANS, VEGANS AREN’T EATING MOST OF THE PLANT-BASED ALTERNATIVES: REPORT

Other restaurants in the city, including Hot Tongue and Burgerlords, have made similar decisions based on financial viability, the L.A. Times reported. But, Engelhart said her decision goes beyond finances as she said it is a way to support ecologically sustainable practices through regenerative farming. 

“I’m not just saying I’m adding meat to the menu to try to get more customers,” Engelhart said. “I’m saying that I think the most important pathway forward for sequestering carbon is bovine on grass, and in order for us to have that at scale, we need people to support it.”

Engelhart told The Times that people are eating meat “everywhere” she looks. 

“If you want to eat meat … where can you go get high-quality meat that was raised in a way that is reversing climate change rather than causing climate change?” she asked. “It’s a numbers game. … I think that the next step forward is regenerative agriculture, and for that to move forward it needs to be in the zeitgeist, it needs to be in our everyday conversations. And this is my way to contribute to that, to give people options.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

Sage Regenerative Kitchen & Brewery did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Read More