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We’re ending our space themed week with an article about Boeings long-awaited Starliner launch.

Innovation

Boeing Starliner First Launch Carrying NASA Astronauts

Boeing launched its first Starliner flight with astronauts last week, marking a critical final flight test of the long-delayed spacecraft.

The launch occurred at 10:52 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with two NASA astronauts on board. The Starliner was carried by a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket, destined for the International Space Station (ISS).

Approximately 15 minutes after liftoff, the rocket successfully released the Starliner capsule into orbit, with the flight proceeding as expected, according to mission control.

Although Starliner is equipped with cameras to capture views inside and outside the cabin, NASA's broadcast indicated that Boeing would not be able to relay video footage back to Earth until the spacecraft reaches the ISS.

Starliner is set to travel in space for about 25 hours before docking with the ISS at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday. The astronauts will spend about a week on the ISS, focusing on testing Starliner, before returning to Earth.

Boeing's crew flight test aims to certify the Starliner system as capable of transporting NASA astronauts to and from the ISS.

Wednesday's liftoff followed a series of previous launch attempts. On Saturday, a launch was aborted in the final minutes of the countdown due to an issue with one of the ground support computers. Earlier in May, another attempt was canceled due to a detected problem with the rocket itself.

United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, replaced the rocket's faulty valve after the May attempt and fixed a faulty part in the ground infrastructure computer after the Saturday attempt.

The Starliner capsule is designed to carry up to four NASA astronauts per flight, along with more than 200 pounds of research and cargo. The spacecraft lands using a parachute and airbag system and is reusable, with each capsule capable of flying up to 10 missions.

The Starliner capsule successfully docked with the International Space Station the next day, achieving a significant milestone for the company's crew spacecraft in a crucial test flight.

Below is the video of the liftoff. The fun part starts around the 1 hour 10 minute mark.

I’m just glad all the doors were securely bolted on! 😬

Culture

Mass Digital Detox

Dutch digital detoxers are unplugging en masse. Members of The Offline Club are exchanging their phones for board games, books, and tranquility. Now, the concept is set to go global.

The Dutch digital detox cafe, where patrons pay to leave their phones at the door, started in Amsterdam. It offers a peaceful escape from the relentless digital hustle of life dominated by smartphone screens.

It fosters moments of quiet introspection and encourages spontaneous conversations with strangers.

With board games, a piano, and books available, the goal is to recharge your soul instead of your device, even if only for a few hours. Ironically, through the power of social media, the club has expanded to multiple cities across the Netherlands and is now preparing for an international launch.

“People love it: they tell us this is exactly what they’ve been waiting for, they can’t believe it didn’t exist already,” says co-founder Ilya Kneppelhout. “We had a girl who struggled with stress and anxiety tell us she hadn’t felt so at peace with herself in a year and a half.”

The concept organically evolved from the "offline getaway" retreats Kneppelhout organized with friends Valentijn Klok and Jordy van Bennekom. They opened their first phone-free hangout in Amsterdam’s Cafe Brecht in February this year and were astonished to attract 125,000 new Instagram followers within a month.

Customers alternate between personal time and social interaction. “People don’t just pay to get rid of their phones – they’re also paying to meet others,” Kneppelhout explains. “We live in quite an isolated world where we’re ever more connected online, but in the physical world, it’s hard to meet people. This is a real experience: where else are you going to be in a cafe with 30 others, and read a book or draw? It’s quite unique.”

His hope is that customers will take away lasting habits from their cafe visits.

Environment

‘Extinct’ Stork Spotted in UK After 600 Years

A white stork was recently spotted flying over Cheshire, England, marking an event not seen for generations. These birds have been extinct in England for 600 years, dating back to the time of Martin Luther's reforms. However, they have been reintroduced and breeding in the country for several years due to conservation efforts.

The White Stork Project in southern England, supported by birds donated from the Warsaw Zoo, has played a key role in this reintroduction. The zoo's storks had been rescued from accidents involving roads or powerlines.

Some of these storks are kept at the Cotswold Wildlife Park, and each year, their offspring are moved to the Knepp Estate and Wadhurst Park in Sussex. Here, they grow up in a natural environment, learning the skills needed to survive in the English countryside.

Cheshire is quite far from the Cotswolds and the Knepp Estate, where the reintroduction efforts are centered. "There are no plans to reintroduce them here in Cheshire, but it was great to see one this far north," Banks added.

Despite their long absence in England, the white stork is classified as a species of least concern and can be found in regions such as Kenya, Palestine, Turkey, and Kazakhstan.

You can watch a live nest camera of a stork family at the Knepp Estate, courtesy of the White Stork Project, where juveniles can be seen competing for food brought by their parents.

Mind Stretchers

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If you were pushed down a flight of stairs, what would you fall against?

Answers to yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:
Overworked and underpaid— Chris Hostetler got the answer first! 🌞 

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.

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