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A few days ago we shared a video featuring Stephen Nedoroscik who was the pommel horse specialist that got the men’s USA gymnastics team to bronze, the first men’s gymnastic medal for the USA in 16 years.

However, what we did not know at the time, is that he apparently has two eye conditions that affect his eyesight.

The first is strabismus, which is when your eyes do not point in the same direction. It can affect depth perception, or develop blurry or double vision.

The second condition is coloboma, which is a genetic condition happens when some of the tissue that makes up the eye is missing at birth. Depending on what part of the eye is missing, it can cause a range of problems. In Nedoroscik’s case we know it makes him photophobic, or light sensitive.

Nedoroscik’s said in an interview with TODAY that he does not rely on his sight when doing gymnastics. Instead, he does everything using his hands and feeling.

Very Impressive!

Space

Space Race 2.0

Nuclear-powered spacecraft have the potential to significantly reduce travel times to Mars and beyond.

Last year, NASA and DARPA awarded Lockheed Martin a $499 million contract to develop the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO). This project employs several innovations to navigate regulations related to nuclear testing and aims to help the US maintain its lead over China's rapidly advancing space sector.

The DRACO rocket, designed to be approximately 49 feet long and 17.7 feet in diameter, will be launched using the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket, which had its maiden flight in January this year.

Nuclear rockets could drastically cut travel times to Mars, potentially reducing the journey from six or seven months to around three months. Shorter travel times would benefit astronaut health by reducing exposure to harmful cosmic radiation and enabling quicker return trips, aligning with the optimal Mars-Earth windows.

A New Fuel

The concept of nuclear thermal rockets dates back to the US Air Force’s Rover program in the mid-1950s, which remained experimental.

Instead of weapons-grade uranium, which poses significant risks in the event of a launch failure, DRACO will utilize high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). HALEU, enriched to less than 20 percent, meets stringent security requirements for on-ground testing, as reported by Ars Technica.

If successful, NASA and DARPA could soon have a nuclear rocket, vastly expanding humanity’s capacity to explore the Solar System.

Entertainment

Surprise Reunion

In a surprising twist of fate, an Uber driver recently experienced an extraordinary moment while on a routine ride. As he picked up his next passenger, he quickly realized that the person getting into his car was none other than a long-lost friend he hadn't seen in years. — Watch the reunion in the video below!

@danny.b106

When you’re driving Uber, pick up a passenger, and realize its an old friend you aint seen in 20+ years #uber #uberdriver

Olympics

More Olympic Highlights!

Here are some more great Olympic Highlights. To start it off, men’s rowing is back on top getting the nations first rowing gold since the 1960’s games. It was quite the race between USA and New Zealand.

Following that up is Simone Biles who won gold in the all-around women’s competition. This is her 6th Olympic gold and her second all-around title! Biles is also 27, which is remarkable in a sport like gymnastics where she is far past what is considered the prime.

We don’t want to neglect Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade and the USA’s Suni Lee, who got silver and bronze respectively.

Poland and Brazil delivered a captivating game of men’s volleyball that was quite a crowed pleaser.

And of course, we wanted to feature Katie Ledecky’s incredible 1500m freestyle win adding to her already incredible legacy.

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Mind Stretchers

⁉️ 

Can you work out the following text messages by looking at the keypad on the telephone.

4 26 7866464 3483 6468837 5283! — and the message is?

Yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:

The Answer:
- Five!

Gerry Moore 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] or reply to the email.

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.