July 17, 2019

Private Astronauts to be Included on Space Mirror Memorial (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
There can be little doubt that the age of commercial space flight is here. A recent announcement made by the Astronaut Memorial Foundation has shown that another, more somber, milestone in this new age has been reached. The KSC Visitor Complex’s Space Mirror Memorial contains the names of 24 fallen astronauts who have died in the US’ pursuit of space exploration efforts (either on actual missions or in training activities). That mirror will now include the names of astronauts who have died in service to the companies they work for. (7/16)

China #1 in Quantum Entanglement, Teleports Object 300 Miles (Source: TweakTown)
The human race has made another milestone in the quantum entanglement field where they have managed to teleport an electron to a low-orbiting satellite 300 miles away. According to a team of researchers in China, scientists have managed to use quantum entanglement to teleport an electron 300 miles away. That this is the furthest the technology has managed to teleport an object.

This isn't the first test of its kind, for about a month these scientists have conducted many tests and have beamed up millions of photons from their ground site located in Tibet. The team said that "This work establishes the first ground-to-satellite up-link for faithful and ultra-long-distance quantum teleportation, an essential step toward global-scale quantum Internet." (7/16)

American Kids Would Much Rather be YouTubers Than Astronauts (Source: Ars Technica)
The Apollo program's effect of inspiring America's children to pursue careers in STEM fields is one of the most powerful lasting legacies of the Moon race. Unfortunately, this effect seems to be coming to an end. On the eve of the Apollo 11 anniversary, LEGO asked The Harris Poll to survey a total of 3,000 children in the United States, China, and the United Kingdom about their attitudes toward and knowledge of space. The results reveal that, at least for Western countries, kids today are more interested in YouTube than spaceflight.

Asked what they would like to be when they grow up, about 3 in 10 American and British children replied that they wanted to be YouTubers or Vloggers—careers making videos on the Internet for fame and fortune. Lesser preferences included becoming a teacher, professional athlete, or musician. Becoming an astronaut ranked last, at 11%. Only in China did children have a clear preference for being an astronaut—or rather, a taikonaut—over other potential professions. Children in China were also much more interested in going into space and had higher expectations for human settlement of space in the decades to come. (7/16)

Ed Dwight Was Set to Be the First Black Astronaut. Here’s Why That Never Happened (Source: New York Times)
Two grand stories that America tells itself about the 1960s are the civil rights movement and the space race. They are mostly rendered as separate narratives, happening at the same time but on different courses. In the 5-foot-4 figure of Ed Dwight, they came together for a transitory moment. The Kennedy administration, a supporter of civil rights, became Dwight’s champion. The black press, eager to mark milestones by lionizing barrier breakers, splashed his face across front pages.

Dwight personified American progress at a time when the country was eager to prove that while Russia had beaten us into orbit, the United States was the true superpower. It was a high-stakes contest of Cold War optics. But the top of the California sky was the closest Dwight would ever get to space. He went from being a prospective astronaut to working on a series of obscure assignments, dealing a major blow to America’s early attempts to integrate the ranks of its space pioneers. Click here. (7/16)