Entertainment
NASA crashes spacecraft into asteroid moonlet, successfully deflects its orbit
In a groundbreaking development, researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have discovered that humans successfully deflected an asteroid from its regular orbit around the Sun in a 2022 experiment, marking a historic first in planetary defence.
In 2022, NASA scientists deliberately crashed a spacecraft into a small asteroid moonlet, Dimorphos, and successfully changed its path around its parent asteroid, Didymos.
For context, a moonlet is a very small natural satellite, typically under 1-2 km in diameter, that orbits a planet, dwarf planet, or asteroid.
Now, researchers have found that the first-ever successful demonstration of human capability to change an asteroid’s trajectory also resulted in the deflection of both asteroids from their regular orbits around the Sun.
A recent study published in the journal Science Advances revealed that the spacecraft’s collision with the moonlet caused Didymos’s speed to slow by 11.7 micrometers per second.
The researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign determined the change after examining more than 6,000 orbital laps of the asteroid around the star.
This means that future missions could target the moonlets around asteroids to change their orbit, if they pose a threat to Earth.
The lead scientist for solar system small bodies at NASA Headquarters in Washington, Thomas Statler, hailed the incredible success achieved through the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART).
He said, “This is a tiny change to the orbit, but given enough time, even a tiny change can grow to a significant deflection.”
Despite the success, NASA has warned that there are no other DART-like spacecraft ready for launch if the need arises.
Entertainment
‘House of the Dragon’ unveils ‘more brutal’ season 3 trailer at CCXP Mexico
House of the Dragon lit up CCXP Mexico with the debut of its season three trailer, promising a darker, bloodier chapter in the Game of Thrones prequel saga.
Cast members Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, and Fabien Frankel joined fans in Mexico City on Saturday to tease the upcoming season.
Co creator and showrunner Ryan Condal, appearing via video, described the new installment as “the biggest we’ve made by any margin” dark, funny, action packed, emotional and, of course, “it has lots and lots of dragons.”
The trailer featured Corlys Velaryon declaring, “All that remains is for you to decide what you want from this war,” while Ser Criston Cole warned, “Doom and ruin surround us.”
Smith teased “a lot of battles”.
He said season three aims to be “bigger, bolder, bloodier, more brutal, more dangerous.”
Cooke reflected on Alicent Hightower’s fractured bond with Rhaenyra Targaryen, noting that “to hate someone, there has to be a passion that you have to set fire to.”
Frankel added that his character is now “driven to survive,” while Smith praised Daemon Targaryen’s defiance: “he just doesn’t give a f—: ‘I’ll do what I want, how I want, when I want.’”
With dragons like Caraxes set to dominate the skies, season three promises to deliver the spectacle and intensity fans have come to expect when House of the Dragon returns in June.
Entertainment
‘Devil Wears Prada 2′ Meryl Streep reacts to surprise from on‑screen daughter
The Devil Wears Prada 2 actress Meryl Streep was moved to tears during a French television interview when she received a surprise video message from Jennifer Lawn Lejeune.
Lejeune played her daughter in the 1982 Holocaust drama Sophie’s Choice.
Appearing on Journal de 20 heures alongside Stanley Tucci to promote the highly anticipated sequel of Devil Wears Prada, Streep was handed a tablet by host Laurent Delahousse.
Her expression shifted from calm to stunned as she realized she was watching Lejeune, who portrayed Eva Zawistowska in Alan J. Pakula’s searing film.
Lejeune recalled the bond she shared with Streep on set in her own interview for 20 heures, saying, “I even told my mother that [Streep] was my favorite mother, because Meryl Streep was always nice to me and playing with me.”
Streep’s eyes welled with tears as she clutched her chest, asking, “That’s the child?”
When told it was indeed Lejeune, now living in Paris, she exclaimed, “Oh my God, that’s amazing.”
She thanked the host for what she called “a gift,” adding, “Journalists never give me gifts!”
Lejeune, who later married a French national and now works in finance, recalled the harrowing shoot of the film’s defining scene: Sophie’s devastating choice at Auschwitz.
Though expected to be filmed once, the moment was repeated 13 times, leaving the young actress convinced “it was the end of the world.”
She credited her bond with Streep for helping her tap into the raw emotion.
Entertainment
SBP raises policy rate by 100bps to 11.5% as inflation risks mount
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) raised its benchmark policy rate by 100 basis points (bps) to 11.5% on Monday, opting for cautious tightening as oil price volatility and renewed inflation risks clouded the economic outlook.
The move came as the Monetary Policy Committee faced a finely balanced decision. A Reuters poll had shown that six of 10 analysts expected the central bank to keep the rate unchanged at 10.5%, while three forecast a 50-basis-point hike and one expected a larger 100-basis-point increase.
Pakistan’s CPI inflation quickened to 7.3% year-on-year in March from 7% in February, breaching the SBP’s 5%–7% target range. Some analysts warned that inflation could move towards double digits in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year if external pressures persisted.
Oil prices have remained volatile due to the Iran-US conflict, keeping global markets on edge and raising concerns over Pakistan’s import bill.
The SBP has cut rates by a cumulative 1,150 basis points since June 2024, when they peaked at a record 22%, and last reduced the rate by 50 basis points in January.
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