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SAVE $100: As of Nov. 9, the Google Pixel Watch 2 (cellular) is on sale for $199.99, down from $299.99, at Amazon. That's 33% off.
Opens in a new window Credit: Google Google Pixel Watch 2 (cellular) $199.99 at AmazonIt's treat yourself season, and there's plenty of stylish wearable tech on sale ahead of Black Friday. A solid smartwatch upgrade is within reach today with a deal on the Google Pixel Watch 2 at Amazon.
As of Nov. 9, the Google Pixel Watch 2 (cellular) is on sale for $199.99, down from $299.99, at Amazon. That's $100 off, or a 33% discount. This model hit an all-time low of $170.99 during October Prime Day, but if you're ready to grab one now, this is still a solid discount.
SEE ALSO: The best smartwatch for every wristWhile the Pixel Watch 2 isn't Google's latest smartwatch model (that's the Pixel Watch 3, which also came with some AI updates), it has everything most smartwatch users are looking for at a lower price. Health, fitness, and tracking features include blood oxygen level monitoring, heartbeat and rhythm tracking, heart-rate sensor, sleep tracking, temperature tracking, and more. It also has a full day of battery life with an always-on display, and up to 36 hours while in Battery Saver mode.
Keep in mind that the Pixel Watch 2 only comes in one size, 41mm, while the 3 offers a 45mm size as well, so people who really want a larger screen may want to spring for the 3.
The No. 24 Vanderbilt Commodores and South Carolina Gamecocks football teams go head-to-head this weekend in an SEC showdown at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. The match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9, and is scheduled to start at 4:15 p.m. ET/1:15 p.m. PT.
Vanderbilt is 6-3 overall and 3-2 in conference, cracking into the AP Top 25 after defeating Alabama football earlier this season. South Carolina isn't far behind, also receiving AP Top 25 votes, at 5-3 overall and 3-3 in conference play.
SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt football kickoff time and networkThe South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt football game is scheduled for a 4:15 p.m. ET/1:15 p.m. PT start on SEC Network on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Best streaming services for South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt football gameYou need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for the South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt football game on SEC Network.
Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Orange Plan Get DealSling TV suggests the streamer's Orange Plan for the game, which costs $20 for the first month and $40 monthly after that.
Sling TV’s sports channels feature ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro plan Get DealFuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens at once. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period.
FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes and the Purdue Boilermakers football teams go head-to-head this weekend at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9, and is scheduled to start at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT.
The Buckeyes are 7-1 overall, 4-1 in conference play, and currently sit behind only the Oregon Ducks in the AP Top 25. Purdue is 1-7 overall and 0-5 in conference.
SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable Purdue vs. Ohio State football kickoff time and networkThe Purdue vs. Ohio State football game is scheduled for a 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT start on FOX on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Best streaming services for Purdue vs. Ohio State football gameYou need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for the Purdue vs. Ohio State football game on FOX.
Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Orange Plan Get DealSling TV suggests the streamer's Orange Plan for the game, which costs $20 for the first month and $40 monthly after that.
Sling TV’s sports channels feature ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro plan Get DealFuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens at once. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period.
FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
The No. 1 Oregon Ducks and Maryland Terrapins football teams go head-to-head this weekend at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. The match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9, and is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
The Ducks sit atop the AP Top 25 with an undefeated record, but they've only played two ranked teams: Boise State and Ohio State. Maryland is 4-4 overall, 1-4 in conference play, and unranked, along with the rest of Oregon's remaining opponents.
SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable Maryland vs. Oregon football kickoff time and networkThe Maryland vs. Oregon football game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT start on Big Ten Network on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Best streaming services for Maryland vs. Oregon football gameYou need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for the Maryland vs. Oregon football game on Big Ten Network.
Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Orange Plan Get DealSling TV suggests the streamer's Orange Plan for the game, which costs $20 for the first month and $40 monthly after that.
Sling TV’s sports channels feature ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro plan Get DealFuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens at once. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period.
FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
The No. 5 Texas Longhorns and the Florida Gators football teams go head-to-head this weekend at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. The match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9, and is scheduled to start at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT.
The Longhorns are 7-1 overall, and 3-1 in conference play. The Gators are 4-4 overall and 2-3 in conference.
SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable Florida vs. Texas football kickoff time and networkThe Florida vs. Texas football game is scheduled for a 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT start on ABC/ESPN+ on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Best streaming services for Florida vs. Texas football gameYou need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for the Florida vs. Texas football game on ABC.
Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Orange Plan Get DealSling TV suggests the streamer's Orange Plan for the game, which costs $20 for the first month and $40 monthly after that.
Sling TV’s sports channels feature ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro plan Get DealFuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens at once. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period.
FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
The No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide and No. 15 LSU Tigers football teams go head-to-head this weekend at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9, and is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.
Both teams are 6-2 overall, but Alabama is 3-2 in conference play, while LSU is only 3-1. The Crimson Tide is coming off a 34-0 win over Missouri, while LSU suffered a 38-23 loss to Texas A&M last week.
SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable Alabama vs. LSU football kickoff time and networkThe Alabama vs. LSU football game is scheduled for an 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT start on the ABC/ESPN+ on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Best streaming services for Alabama vs. LSU football gameYou need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for the Alabama vs. LSU football game on the ABC/ESPN+.
Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Orange Plan Get DealSling TV suggests the streamer's Orange Plan for the game, which costs $20 for the first month and $40 monthly after that.
Sling TV’s sports channels feature ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro plan Get DealFuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens at once. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period.
FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
The No. 20 Colorado Buffaloes and Texas Tech football teams go head-to-head this weekend at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. The match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9, and is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.
The Buffaloes, led by head coach Deion "Prime Time" Sanders, are 6-2 overall and 4-1 in conference. The Red Raiders are 6-3 overall, and 4-2 in conference, but remain unranked in the AP Top 25 College Football Poll. Texas Tech did earn two votes.
SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable Colorado vs. Texas Tech football kickoff time and networkThe Colorado vs. Texas Tech football game is scheduled for an 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT start on the FOX on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Best streaming services for Colorado vs. Texas Tech football gameYou need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for the Colorado vs. Texas football game on FOX.
Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Orange Plan Get DealSling TV suggests the streamer's Orange Plan for the game, which costs $20 for the first month and $40 monthly after that.
Sling TV’s sports channels feature ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro plan Get DealFuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens at once. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period.
FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
The No. 12 Boise State Broncos and Nevada Wolf Pack football teams go head-to-head this weekend at Albertsons Stadium in Boise State, Idaho. The match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9, and is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
Nevada is coming off three straight losses, and has lost four of their last five. Boise State, on the other hand, has won the team's last five games. The Broncos have only lost one game all season, and are undefeated in conference play.
SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable Nevada vs. Boise State football kickoff time and networkThe Nevada vs. Boise State football game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT start on the FOX on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Best streaming services for Nevada vs. Boise State football gameYou need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for the Nevada vs. Boise State football game on FOX.
Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Orange Plan Get DealSling TV suggests the streamer's Orange Plan for the game, which costs $20 for the first month and $40 monthly after that.
Sling TV’s sports channels feature ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro plan Get DealFuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens at once. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period.
FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
The No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Florida State football teams go head-to-head this weekend at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana. The match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9, and is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.
Notre Dame has won six straight games, while Florida State has lost five straight. It should come as no surprise that the Fighting Irish are heavily favored.
SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable Florida State vs. Notre Dame football kickoff time and networkThe Florida State vs. Notre Dame football game is scheduled for an 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT start on the NBC on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Best streaming services for Florida State vs. Notre Dame football gameYou need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for the Florida State vs. Notre Dame football game on NBC.
Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Orange Plan Get DealSling TV suggests the streamer's Orange Plan for the game, which costs $20 for the first month and $40 monthly after that.
Sling TV’s sports channels feature ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro plan Get DealFuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens at once. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period.
FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
The No. 8 Indiana Hoosiers and Michigan Wolverines football teams go head-to-head this weekend at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. The match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9, and is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT.
The Hoosiers are one of the only remaining undefeated teams left in college football. Michigan is 5-4 overall and 3-3 in conference play. The Wolverines have lost three of their last five, and without momentum against an undefeated team, the Hoosiers are heavily favored.
SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable Michigan vs. Indiana football kickoff time and networkThe Michigan vs. Indiana football game is scheduled for an 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT start on CBS on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Best streaming services for Michigan vs. Indiana football gameYou need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for the Michigan vs. Indiana football game on CBS.
Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Orange Plan Get DealSling TV suggests the streamer's Orange Plan for the game, which costs $20 for the first month and $40 monthly after that.
Sling TV’s sports channels feature ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro plan Get DealFuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens at once. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period.
FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
The No. 7 Tennessee Vols and Mississippi State Bulldogs football teams go head-to-head this weekend at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. The match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9, and is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
The Vols are 7-1 overall, and 4-1 in conference play, plus the team has won 18 of their last 19 games at Neyland. On the other side of this SEC showdown, MS State is 2-7 overall, and have yet to win a conference game in the 2024 season.
SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable Mississippi State vs. Tennessee football kickoff time and networkThe MS State vs. Tennessee football game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT start on ESPN on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Best streaming services for MS State vs. Tennessee football gameYou need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for the Mississippi State vs. Tennessee football game on ESPN.
Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Orange Plan Get DealSling TV suggests the streamer's Orange Plan for the game, which costs $20 for the first month and $40 monthly after that.
Sling TV’s sports channels feature ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro plan Get DealFuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens at once. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period.
FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
The No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs and No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels football teams go head-to-head this weekend at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. The match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9, and is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT.
SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable Ole Miss vs. Georgia football kickoff time and networkThe Ole Miss vs. Georgia football game is scheduled for an 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT start on the ABC/ESPN+ on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Best streaming services for Georgia vs. Ole Miss football gameYou need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for the Georgia vs. Ole Miss football game on the ABC/ESPN+.
Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Orange Plan Get DealSling TV suggests the streamer's Orange Plan for the game, which costs $20 for the first month and $40 monthly after that.
Sling TV’s sports channels feature ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro plan Get DealFuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens at once. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period.
FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.
With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.
So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on MashableHere are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Saturday, November 9, 2024:
AcrossCar puller in San FranciscoThe answer is Cable.
The answer is Poured.
The answer is Bar game.
The answer is Ire.
The answer is Von.
The answer is Kitten.
The answer is Eatery.
The answer is Shady.
The answer is Coretta.
The answer is Aug.
The answer is Bravery.
The answer is Lemony.
The answer is Eden.
The answer is Pariah.
The answer is Bikes.
The answer is Ted.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of GamesAre you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Mini Crossword.
SpaceX is on track to have the most powerful space-worthy rocket in history, a vehicle soon expected to outperform NASA's mega moon rocket, which flew its maiden voyage in 2022.
The aerospace company, founded by Elon Musk, is laser-focused on bringing Starship into operational use. Since April 2023, SpaceX has launched five test flights of the skyscraping rocket and spacecraft. Though the first three ended prematurely in explosions, the fourth, in June, ended without anything blowing up, and the fifth, in October, even succeeded in returning the colossal booster to the launch pad, a crucial step toward reusability.
During the upcoming sixth test flight, Starship flight controllers will once again attempt to send back the booster for capture and have a controlled splash down of the spacecraft in the Indian Ocean.
These tests are a critical demonstration of hardware for NASA, which is depending on Starship to get humans back on the moon in the next few years. And, if successful, it'll mean Musk is one small step closer to realizing his personal dream of building a city on Mars.
The billionaire business magnate has oversold timelines in the past. Here's what we know so far about when SpaceX will try to fly this.
SEE ALSO: Check out NASA's next space station. It won't orbit Earth. Tweet may have been deleted What is the SpaceX Starship?Starship is a super-heavy-lift rocket and spacecraft, built to carry immense cargo and numerous astronauts into deep space.
The 400-foot vehicle looms over NASA's rocket, the Space Launch System. It would take about five billboards stacked on top of the space agency's mega rocket to be as tall as Starship. SpaceX estimates its rocket also has about twice as much thrust.
The rocket is made of stainless steel, a material Musk is particularly fond of due to its relatively low price. Unlike NASA's SLS, which flies on super-chilled liquid hydrogen and oxygen, this beast is fueled with 10 million pounds of liquid methane and oxygen. The new fuel can be stored at more manageable temperatures than liquid hydrogen, meaning it doesn't need as much insulation and is less prone to leaks, a problem that often stymies NASA launches.
SpaceX's Starship is made of stainless steel and runs on liquid methane. Credit: SpaceXStarship is intended to eventually evolve into a fully reusable launch and landing system, designed for trips to the moon, Mars, and perhaps other destinations. Its intended reusability is "the holy grail of space," Musk said at a company event in 2022, because it will make spaceflight more affordable to the average person.
"Full reusability has been an elusive goal throughout the history of spaceflight, piling innumerable technical challenges on what is already the most difficult engineering pursuit in human existence," according to SpaceX. "It is rocket science, on ludicrous mode."
"It is rocket science, on ludicrous mode." NASA tapped SpaceX to develop a human landing system version of Starship. Credit: SpaceX How will NASA use Starship?NASA plans to use Starship to land astronauts on the moon during Artemis III and IV, two upcoming missions which could come as early as 2026 and 2028, respectively.
The space agency has tapped SpaceX to develop a human landing system version of Starship with a $4 billion contract. As part of the deal, the company will need to demonstrate an uncrewed test flight to the moon beforehand.
During Artemis III, Starship is expected to transport astronauts from NASA's Orion spacecraft to the lunar south pole and back. It would be the first human moon-landing since 1972. The space agency also has promised the mission will see a woman and person of color walk on the moon for the first time. In the fourth Artemis mission, Starship might dock at a moon-orbiting space station, the yet-to-be-commissioned Gateway, and ferry astronauts back and forth to the moon from there.
NASA announced in January it was pushing back Artemis III at least a year to 2026, in large part because of Starship's lag in progress. For the SpaceX spacecraft to reach the moon, it will need to refuel in low-Earth orbit from a space tanker, something never done before.
NASA's confidence in Starship has ebbed and flowed over the past two years. During an Artemis news conference in August 2023, the space agency's Jim Free, then associate administrator of exploration systems, told reporters NASA would consider changing the Artemis III mission goals if slips in SpaceX's schedule persisted.
When is Starship's next launch?SpaceX is targeting as early as Nov. 18 for its sixth orbital test flight. The half-hour launch window opens at 5 p.m. ET (or 4 p.m. local Starbase time), though the time and date could change. The company must first get license approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
SpaceX has been launching Starship tests from its private launch pad known as Starbase in South Texas.. Credit: JIM WATSON / AFP via Getty ImagesThis test will attempt to repeat many of the objectives achieved in the last test. Starship will once again try to send back the booster for mid-air capture with the launch tower's so-called "chopsticks" and have a controlled splash down of the spacecraft in the Indian Ocean. The switch to an afternoon liftoff should enable the ship to reenter the atmosphere in daylight.
This time flight controllers will try to reignite an engine in space and run several heatshield experiments. The ship also will fly at a steeper angle in the final phase, "purposefully stressing the limits of flap control" to collect data on various future landing scenarios. The whole journey should last little more than one hour.
"Learnings from this and subsequent flight tests will continue to make the entire Starship system more reliable," according to SpaceX.
Tweet may have been deleted What happened to Starship during its previous test flights?The company has already flown five Starships. The first three exploded, but the last two survived.
The rocket first launched on April 20, 2023, exploding 24 miles above the Gulf of Mexico about four minutes later. The rocket didn't separate from its colossal booster, which had caught fire from leaking fuel, and flipped as it fell in the air back toward Earth. The self-destruct system was commanded for both the booster and ship after several of the engines didn’t fire, though aerodynamic pressure ultimately caused the ship to break apart.
During the second test on Nov. 18, 2023, Starship reached space but not orbit, exploding about eight minutes into the flight. In that test, the rocket demonstrated a new method of separating the booster from the spacecraft in the air, known as "hot-staging."
SpaceX's Starship didn't make it to orbit during its first attempt to fly in space on April 20, 2023. It appeared to explode on its descent about four minutes after liftoff. Credit: SpaceXThen on March 14, the ship reached orbital speed and demonstrated a first step toward being able to refuel in space, transferring several tons of liquid oxygen between internal tanks. In June, Starship survived the maximum heat of reentering Earth's atmosphere and performed a key flip and landing burn before hitting the Indian Ocean.
In its latest fifth flight on Oct. 13, the rocket defied expectations by successfully sending the booster back to the launch pad, where it was caught mid-air with mechanical launch tower arms, on its very first try. The flight ended with a controlled splash down in the water, just as planned.
Where will Starship launch?Perhaps surprisingly, Starship won't lift off from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, where most space fans are accustomed to watching historically significant launches.
Instead, it will take off from Boca Chica, Texas, at SpaceX's own spaceport, known as Starbase. Eventually, the company will launch the rocket from a site under construction in the outer perimeter of the famous Florida pad that shot Apollo 11 to the moon.
"Their plan is that they're going to do a few test flights there" in South Texas, NASA administrator Bill Nelson said. "Once they have the confidence, they will bring the missions to the Cape."
How can I watch the Starship launch?If you're not on the list to get onto SpaceX's private Starbase but in the South Texas area, you could try viewing the flight test from a public beach on South Padre Island, such as Cameron County Amphitheater at Isla Blanca Park or Port Isabel. Locals are known to host watch parties.
For viewers at home, SpaceX will start a live broadcast of the countdown about a half-hour before liftoff. The launch window is 5 to 5:30 p.m. ET. The livestream feed will be available on SpaceX's website, and updates will be posted on X, the social platform also owned by Musk.
During the fourth test flight in June, Starship plopped the Super Heavy booster into the Gulf of Mexico as planned. Credit: SpaceX How likely is Starship to succeed?Well, rocket science is hard.
After the first flight test, Kate Tice, a quality systems engineering manager for the company, said Starship's clearing of the launch tower was the team's main hope. Prior to the second flight, Tice again managed public expectations, saying there was "a good chance" the booster would incur damage.
"Each of these flight tests continue to be just that: a test," SpaceX said on its website in March. "They aren’t occurring in a lab or on a test stand, but are putting flight hardware in a flight environment to maximize learning."
Tweet may have been deletedAdministrator Nelson has congratulated SpaceX on the team's bold efforts, stating that great achievements through history have demanded "some level of calculated risk."
As Starship has spent more time in flight, its track record has improved — thus, explosions should become less frequent. Though the company has faced criticism for previous test failures, its executives insist that building fast, breaking expensive things, and learning from mistakes are part of SpaceX's philosophy — a departure from NASA's slower and more conservative pace.
"Development moves really fast here at SpaceX," Tice said earlier this year.
Tweet may have been deleted What is SpaceX's plan for Mars?The SpaceX founder's ultimate vision is to use a fleet of Starships to send 1 million humans to Mars by 2050.
To be clear, Musk doesn't just want to establish a place for people to visit but a self-sustaining city. He imagines that, with a bit of warming, humans could restore a thick atmosphere and oceans on Mars, making it a more hospitable environment, even able to grow crops.
"There's a fundamental juncture in the history of really any civilization on a single planet, which is, do you get to the second planet, or do you not?" Musk told the National Academies in 2021. "I propose we do, and I think we should as soon as possible."
SpaceX test fired a Starship prototype spacecraft on the ground in December. Credit: SpaceX "There's a fundamental juncture in the history of really any civilization on a single planet, which is, do you get to the second planet, or do you not?"The ship would be spacious enough for 100 passengers, along with their luggage, plus the materials to build homes, businesses, rocket fuel stations, and iron foundries.
The journey getting there would be long, Musk said, but Starship would have entertainment, such as zero-gravity games, movies, lectures, and a restaurant.
"It can't feel cramped or boring," he said at the International Astronautical Congress in 2016, in Guadalajara, Mexico. "It'll be really fun to go. You'll have a great time."
UPDATE: Nov. 8, 2024, 5:43 p.m. EST A version of this article was originally published on Feb. 4, 2023. It has been updated periodically since then to reflect new information in Starship's launch campaign.
An unknown small object, traveling thousands of miles per hour, punctured a satellite in Earth's orbit.
The satellite company NanoAvionics released images online showing the damage to its MP42 satellite, launched in 2022 and designed to host several instruments for different customers. The source of the hole from a chickpea-sized object is uncertain, but the event underscores the growing risk to spacecraft in orbit around our planet.
"Whether this impact was from a micrometeoroid or a piece of space debris, the collision highlights the need for responsible space operations in orbit and makes us reflect on satellite resilience against these types of events," the company posted online.
SEE ALSO: NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills.Though natural impacts from small meteoroids — which are fragments of an asteroid — are inevitable in our solar system (a place teeming with asteroids), both space agencies and companies alike don't want human-created space debris to increase. That would, of course, endanger everyone's interests, and may eventually spawn a domino effect of continually increasing space collisions called the Kessler effect. (Mashable previously spoke with Don Kessler, a former senior scientist for orbital debris research at NASA, about this debris risk.)
The impact of the MP42 satellite thankfully didn't contribute to a debris problem, but as shown below, left a hole in a solar panel.
On bottom left, a zoomed-in view shows the six millimeter (quarter-inch) hole left by the recent collision. Credit: Kongsberg NanoAvionics Tweet may have been deletedNanoAvionics noted that it has joined the European Space Agency's Zero Debris Charter, which aim to significantly reduce the creation of new space debris by 2030. Just a small object packs a big punch. "A collision with a 1cm particle travelling 10 km/s (of which there are about a million in orbit) releases the same energy as a small car crashing at 40 km/h," the agency said.
"By joining this initiative, we're helping to ensure that NanoAvionics' satellites and those from our customers operate responsibly and contribute to a safer future in space," NanoAvionics wrote.
Operating responsibly means that defunct spacecraft self-dispose themselves into Earth's atmosphere, where they'll largely burn up. It also means designing craft that don't intentionally release space debris (like lens caps or rocket parts), vigilantly monitoring for potential collisions (the International Space Station, for example, has to at times move to avoid a heightened impact threat), and of course discouraging the irresponsible destruction of spacecraft.
Today, unregulated orbital trash now permeates a region of space around Earth called low Earth orbit, or LEO.
"LEO is an orbital space junk yard," NASA explained. "There are millions of pieces of space junk flying in LEO. Most orbital debris comprises human-generated objects, such as pieces of spacecraft, tiny flecks of paint from a spacecraft, parts of rockets, satellites that are no longer working, or explosions of objects in orbit flying around in space at high speeds."
If you've seen Heretic, chances are high you'll never see Hugh Grant the same way again.
This ominous, brazenly academic, and complex A24 horror film from co-writers/co-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place) quite literally traps you in a maze of unspoken threat, religious debate, and blueberry pie, with Grant's horribly hospitable Mr. Reed proving one of the more surprising villains in modern horror.
SEE ALSO: What to watch: Best scary moviesBut how about that ending? What actually happened with the big reveal, and what was with that final moment? We're going to dig into the unsettling details of the ending of Heretic, so consider this your massive spoiler warning.
What's Heretic about? Credit: A24On a dark and stormy afternoon, Mormon missionaries Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) are assigned to visit addresses who've previously signed up for further information about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Next on their list is Mr. Reed (Grant), who invites them in on the socially appropriate premise that his wife's baking in the next room.
Mr. Reed seems quite charming at first, engaging the pair in a deep conversation about faith and how "religion isn't at the centre of culture anymore." But it soon becomes apparent that there's something off; for example, this self-described scholar of religion may brandish a "hubby" mug, but his wife is nowhere to be seen. It's not until Mr. Reed reveals his more sinister methods of testing one's faith and enlightenment that the two women realise they're in real danger. In order to leave the house, Mr. Reed insists they choose one of two doors, one labeled "belief" and one labeled "disbelief." But where do they lead?
What happens at the end of Heretic? Credit: A24The end of Heretic is a whirl of tense debate over belief and reality, gut-churning reveals, and violent ends. But it's also simply a man craving ultimate control over women, and masking his homicidal desires with long-winded lectures on the pitfalls and catches of modern religion.
After a terrifying ordeal and a vicious attack on Barnes, Paxton adopts her friend's strategy to "challenge" Mr. Reed, changing her tact from survival-based politeness to one of a more aggressive exchange. She debates the concept of belief with him, before accusing him of being a charlatan — the "miracle" they were forced to watch in Mr. Reed's basement was a ruse. Paxton figures out there has to be another entrance into the basement to test her theory, and finds a trapdoor. She's encouraged yet again by Mr. Reed to test her faith and decides to climb down into it, though she really has no choice at this point.
There, she finds the nucleus of Mr. Reed's sinister operation: a tunnel emblazoned with sinister occult symbols that leads to a freezing cold room. Here, she discovers multiple women imprisoned in cages, in extremely poor health and starving. Paxton was right. Every time Mr. Reed traps a woman in his maze-house, he poisons another via pie to "demonstrate" the miracle to the newly trapped, replacing them with one of the women in the cages. The macabre switcheroo lets him seemingly play God over and over again — while taking notes. Mr. Reed probably signs up for "more information" to lure religious representatives to his home, and the whole thing works like clockwork; the lights are timed, the locks are automatic, and the script is set.
Paxton is "allowed" to find these women by Mr. Reed so he can gleefully declare the true religion: control. He follows her through another door into the caged area for his "a-ha!" moment. But she stabs him with her concealed letter opener and uses his exit to escape. However, she gets lost in the maze-like house, retreating to the basement. There, Paxton is stabbed by a suddenly reappearing Mr. Reed, who took the tunnel. Bleeding, she does one thing he did not expect: She prays. As she does, Barnes suddenly stabs Mr. Reed with the nail board in her final act. Paxton musters the strength to return to the study where she uses Mr. Reed's wooden house map to find a small vent to crawl out through, and she stumbles through the woods to freedom. Finally, a butterfly lands on her finger, then disappears.
What's Mr. Reed's actual motivation here? Credit: A24Earlier in the film, when they're first invited in, Mr. Reed asks the missionaries their thoughts on one big question: "What is the one true religion?" It keeps coming up over the course of the film, with Mr. Reed confessing he's tried "every sect, cult, and doctrine" out there looking for the answer, trawling ancient history and modern religions, and eventually coming to one conclusion: Control is the one true religion. Essentially, Mr. Reed is practicing contrived experiments in his macabre basement theatre to "prove" this, after lengthy mansplaining monologues about Monopoly, Jar Jar Binks, and Radiohead to bolster his arguments.
Mr. Reed has built a maze-like trap for faith-driven women, one that manipulates them into doubting their beliefs as a distraction from the fact that they're being held captive by a homicidal man. "It's easy to control someone who's lost everything," he says. The number of women under Mr. Reed's control also nods to the very first question he asked of Barnes and Paxton in the living room: "How do you feel about polygamy?" It's a foreshadowing you may have glossed over, but an uncomfortable opener nonetheless.
At the end of the day, this is a man who wants to exercise power over women. Ultimately, it's not about religion, and it's not about faith; it's about violent, male control. From the moment Barnes and Paxton entered Mr. Reed's metal-lined, deadlocked house, he knew he had a literally captive audience for his findings.
However, they outwitted him, with Barnes making a final sacrifice to save her friend.
What's the deal with the butterfly? Credit: A24At the very end of the film, we see Paxton stumbling through the woods in her final escape from Mr. Reed's house. In the final frames, a butterfly lands on her finger, then disappears.
It's likely the butterfly is a representation of her fallen friend, Barnes, who was present in an earlier scene when the three discussed what happens when we die. Paxton had said she would like to be reincarnated as a butterfly, and that she'd land on the tips of the fingers of her loved ones to make sure they knew it was her. Barnes may have been trying to let Paxton know she was with her.
Alternatively, Paxton just had a near-death experience, so perhaps the butterfly is a representation of herself, on another plane of existence, checking in.
As the butterfly disappears almost immediately, we're left in an ambiguous state of whether Paxton saw what she wanted to see (affirming that believing is seeing) or not. Was her hallucination proof of belief or a fabricated vision?
Powerful electromagnetic radiation from an enormous radio telescope in Puerto Rico may have fast-tracked structural damage that led to the instrument's collapse in 2020, a new report says.
For over a half-century, the Arecibo Observatory's 1,000-foot-wide telescope, a giant bowl nestled in a lush valley, was the leading radio transmitter on Earth. The facility advanced astronomy through the study of stars, exoplanets, and asteroids, as well as searched for signals from potential alien civilizations in space. The telescope even had its proverbial 15 minutes of fame with cameos in the sci-fi film Contact, starring Jodie Foster, and the James Bond blockbuster, GoldenEye.
On Dec. 1, 2020, a 900-ton platform and four-story dome of secondary reflectors hanging over the receiver fell more than 400 feet and crashed into the main dish. No people were hurt in the incident, but the U.S. National Science Foundation, which owned the telescope, decided not to rebuild the observatory, dashing the hopes of astronomers around the globe who relied on it for their research.
Previous investigations into the disaster attributed the structural failure to slow "zinc creep," the tendency for zinc to deform over time under tension. Sockets filled with zinc anchored a set of cables holding the main platform over the reflector dish. Gradually, the zinc lost its grip and allowed several of the supporting wires to slip out.
But the Arecibo Observatory collapse was unlike anything that had ever happened before. It is believed to be the first documented case of a long-term zinc failure, and the zinc deformed at a load less than half the sockets' normal strength.
"The baffling question was, 'Why was there excessive zinc creep at such loading?' Such a failure had never been reported previously in over a century of widespread zinc spelter socket successful use," Roger L. McCarthy, chair of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee assigned to study the causes of the telescope's collapse, said in the incident report.
SEE ALSO: Webb telescope finds hot young star Vega is actually quite lonely An aerial view shows the damage to the Arecibo telescope after a cataclysmic collapse on Dec. 1, 2020. Credit: Ricardo Arduengo / AFP / Getty ImagesThe National Academies' recently released 98-page report largely agrees with previous forensic analyses on the sequence of events that led to the collapse, including a study performed by NASA in 2021.
But the new report criticizes other investigations for not including several previously observed failure patterns at the site leading up to the event and for not providing explanations for them. The committee asserts there were warning signs that structural engineers didn't heed.
McCarthy, founder and owner of McCarthy Engineering, labeled the accident "one of the most publicized and baffling failures of the modern era."
The damage, according to the committee, began with Hurricane Maria, more than three years before the collapse. Following the 2017 storm, inspectors saw "large and progressive" cable pull-outs. Those discoveries should have prompted immediate repairs, the committee said, but the inspectors hadn't accounted for how fast that damage would progress.
" ... One of the most publicized and baffling failures of the modern era."In August 2020, about four months before the collapse, an auxiliary cable snapped, causing a 100-foot gash on the dish and damaging the suspended platform. The problems only snowballed, with a main cable breaking that November. Just 12 days before the whole telescope fell apart, the National Science Foundation announced it would be closing the facility, due to its dangerous state of disrepair.
Tweet may have been deletedOriginally, the telescope was built in the 1960s through the Defense Department to help develop anti-ballistic missile defenses. Later, a pair of scientists won a Nobel Prize in physics in 1993 for using the telescope to observe a new type of pulsar, a fast-spinning dead star core left over after a supernova. The discovery has provided a new "space laboratory" for studying gravitation.
Despite its perilous location in the Caribbean, the telescope had survived many hurricanes without issue over its 57 years of operation.
The committee thinks electromagnetic waves from the Arecibo telescope itself could have sped up the zinc deformity. Electroplasticity is a phenomenon that can occur when an electric current passes through a material, causing it to become more flexible and lose its original shape.
In a 1989 archival photo, a technician checks cables suspending a platform over the Arecibo telescope about 450 feet in the air. Credit: Roger Ressmeyer / Corbis / VCG via Getty ImagesThe group of subject-matter experts has recommended that the foundation give the remaining sockets and cables from the site to the research community for studies into this hypothesis to capture hard evidence.
"Unfortunately, there was not enough data available to prove our explanation," McCarthy said in a statement. "It is simply the most plausible hypothesis based on the data we do have."
It's too late to help Arecibo. Instead of rebuilding the observatory, the foundation is funding a new science, technology, engineering, and math education center at the site. But understanding what happened could prevent similar damage to other facilities in the future.
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