Good Morning! 🌞

This has got to be one of the most physically impressive handshakes I have ever seen.

@ianpepperjack

Innovation

This Radical Mars Rocket Could Revolutionize Space Travel

NASA has invested $725,000 in a new rocket system to address one of the major challenges of sending humans to Mars: travel time.

Currently, a round-trip to Mars takes nearly two years, posing significant health risks for astronauts, including exposure to high levels of solar and cosmic radiation, zero gravity effects, and prolonged isolation. Space radiation is particularly concerning, as six months in space exposes astronauts to the equivalent of 1,000 chest X-rays, increasing the risk of cancer, nervous system damage, bone loss, and heart disease.

To shorten the trip, NASA is collaborating with Howe Industries to develop the Pulsed Plasma Rocket (PPR), a propulsion system using pulses of superheated plasma to generate efficient thrust. Funded by the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program, the PPR is in phase two of development, focusing on optimizing engine design, conducting proof-of-concept experiments, and designing a PPR-powered, shielded spaceship for Mars missions.

The PPR's significant advantage is its ability to make a spacecraft travel extremely fast, with both high thrust and high specific impulse. It generates 10,000 newtons of thrust with a specific impulse of 5,000 seconds, enabling a spacecraft to travel approximately 100,000 miles per hour.

While it will likely take a couple of decades before the PPR is ready for spaceflight, once available, it will significantly expand the range of human space exploration.

Culture

75-Year-Old Breast Cancer Survivor Wins $5M in PA Lottery

A great-grandmother in Pennsylvania recently won $5 million playing scratch-off lottery cards after successfully beating breast cancer.

Donna Osborne, who had to cancel a flight due to delays, bought the winning scratch card at a Speedway after returning home. "I don’t know what I’d do with myself, I have to keep moving,” Osborne said. She plans to invest some of the money and travel to Alaska.

Osborne initially couldn’t believe her win and had it verified by the store clerk. She shared the news with her daughter, who was still at the airport.

Sports

The History of Olympic Mascot Design

For over fifty years, Olympic athletes have often been cheered on by mascots representing the host city's culture and history. These mascots, chosen and finalized years before the Games, aim to spread a festive atmosphere and embody the spirit of the event, according to the International Olympic Committee.

Throughout the decades, mascots have ranged from snowmen and sasquatches to bears and aliens. This year, the mascot is a hat, specifically the red Phrygian cap worn by emancipated Roman slaves and later a symbol of freedom during the French Revolution.

The first Olympic mascot, created by designer Aline Lafargue for the 1968 Grenoble Winter Games in France, was named “Shuss.” Despite its iconic status, Lafargue designed Shuss in just one night. Host countries often hold contests to select mascots, such as the 2014 Sochi Winter Games competition, which received over 24,000 submissions. The winning trio of arctic mammals was chosen by public vote and announced on Russian TV. In contrast, Disney privately designed the mascot for the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

Mascots play a crucial role in merchandise sales, so designs aim to be cute and appealing. For instance, the panda mascot Bing Dwen Dwen from the 2022 Beijing Winter Games sold exceptionally well, and Disney’s Sam the eagle from 1984 was crafted to look friendly and appealing to children. Deviations from this trend have sometimes been poorly received, as with the silver cyclops mascots for the 2012 London Games. In a unique moment, the bear mascot Misha went to space on the "Soyuz" rocket in 1978, two years before the 1980 Moscow Games.

Character design becomes especially important during historically significant Games. For example, the 2000 Sydney Olympics featured three mascots, Syd, Olly, and Millie, referencing Sydney, the Olympics, and the Millennium. T-shirts from these Games are still popular on second-hand resale sites today.

Mind Stretchers

❓️ 

It stalks the countryside with ears that can’t hear. What is it?

Yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:

My first is in bridge but not in ridge.
My second is in awake and in mistake.
My third is in danger but not in ranger.
My fourth is in flange and in orange.
My fifth is in spline and in wine.
My last is in river and in diver.
My whole likes the darkness.
What am I?

Answer: Badger

Chris Hostetler got the correct answer first!

Be the first to send us the correct answer for today’s mind stretcher for a shout-out with the answer tomorrow. Just send us the answer and your name to [email protected]

If you have any uplifting stories and experience you might want to share, send those over to [email protected] for the chance to be featured.