Japanese Rocket Crashes and Explodes in Flames Shortly After Launch

An uncrewed Japanese rocket has crashed only seconds after launch. The MOMO-2 rocket burst into flames shortly after take-off on June 30.
Luckily there were no injuries caused by the short-lived flight. The unfortunate rocket was developed by Japanese start-up company Interstellar Technologies.

The company aims to design and develop small, lightweight, and low-cost rockets that can send satellites into space. This disastrous flight was the second take-off for the company, its first flight was a partial success in that the MOMO did manage to leave the launch pad but communications with it were lost about a minute after it had lifted off.

Second rocket crash for new company
The rocket's booster only managed to reach an altitude of about 12 miles (20 kilometers) before it splashed down into the Pacific Ocean. A video of the 10-meter high rocket launching then crashing is a combination of tragedy and comedy, however, the company won’t be put off saying they are on track to put a satellite into low Earth orbit by 2020.
Interstellar Technologies wants to be able to offer satellite launches for as little as US$440,000 compared to the price the Japanese government offers of US$1.8 million minimum. While it's an ambitious and exciting goal, the fledgling company will need to go some way before it can convince investors it can safely deliver payloads to space.

85 Percent of the Asteroid Belt Is Composed of the Remnants of Ancient Planets

A new study from the University of Florida has found that 85 percent of our solar system's asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter is made up of the remnants of five or six ancient small planets.

Lead author on the newly published research paper Stanley Dermott says it's likely that the remaining 15 percent could also end up being from old planets too.

Research into the asteroid belt offers insights into the way our own Earth was formed. It also gives scientists critical information about the formation of the asteroid and offers the opportunity to determine if any matter is going to peel off and head towards earth.
"These large bodies whiz by the Earth, so of course we're very concerned about how many of these there are and what types of material are in them," Dermott said in a press release. "If ever one of these comes towards the earth, and we want to deflect it, we need to know what its nature is."

The study discovered that the size of the asteroid determines its orbit. This discovery suggests that the differences we observe in meteorites found on Earth relate to the evolutionary changes that occurred inside a few large, vanguard bodies that existed more than four billion years ago.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we eventually trace the origins of all asteroids in the main asteroid belt, not just those in the inner belt, to a small number of known parent bodies,” Dermott said. This research helps theoretical astronomers in their quest to investigate where planets like our own might exist in the universe.
But before those questions can be fully understood it is crucial to more fully understand the processes that produced the planet we live on. Last month NASA discovered an asteroid heading on a collision course with Earth.

Google says it's not reading your Gmail, except when....

Google published a blog explaining the terms on which hundreds of app makers are given access to millions of inboxes belonging to Gmail users.
The company was also at pains to point out that "no one at Google reads your Gmail."
But there are a couple of key exceptions to this rule, including when Google needs to go investigate a bug or "abuse" of the platform.
It's not clear whether Gmail users are notified when Google rummages through messages to address these issues.

Google was hauled over the coals this week for reportedly giving hundreds of app makers access to millions of inboxes belonging to Gmail users.

The Wall Street Journal reported that users who signed up for "email-based services" like "shopping price comparisons," and "automated travel-itinerary planners" were most at risk of having their private messages read.

In response to the story, Google published a blog on Tuesday detailing how third-party developers have to go through an involved review process before they are given access to Gmail.

Suzanne Frey, Google Cloud's director of security, trust, and privacy, also said that Gmail's 1.4 billion users hold the keys to their own data and can control permissions.
In the same piece, Frey was at pains to point out that Google itself does not read user emails.

'Dead' woman wakes up in a morgue. Why does this keep happening?

A woman was taken to the morgue and pronounced dead after a car crash near Johannesburg in South Africa.

The only problem? She wasn't dead.
According to the BBC, the unnamed woman woke up in a mortuary fridge after a car pile-up on June 24 which reportedly left two others dead.

The woman was discovered by a morgue worker, according to the news service, and she is now recovering in a hospital east of Johannesburg.

The woman's family declined to comment on the incident to the BBC, but said, "We need answers."

So, how did this happen? An investigation is reportedly underway. Ambulance company Distress Alert, who mispronounced the woman dead, told news publisher Times Live, “Equipment used to determine life showed no form of life on the woman."

"This did not happen because our paramedics are not properly trained," the company's statement added. "There is no proof of any negligence by our crew."

How does this keep happening?
It's not the first time this has happened. In fact, it's not as uncommon as you'd think.

Facebook shutters the teen app it just bought

Facebook is shutting down three apps, including a teen app called tbh, which it bought about eight months ago.
In a blog post, the social network said it would shutter the tbh, Hello and Moves apps due to "low usage." Facebook will delete user data from the apps within 90 days.

"We know some people are still using these apps and will be disappointed," the company said in a blog post late Monday. "But we need to prioritize our work so we don't spread ourselves too thin."

Facebook acquired tbh -- which stands for the popular texting acronym "to be honest" -- for an undisclosed sum last October. The app let users participate in anonymous polls and give positive feedback to friends. It initially was widely popular among teens. Over 5 million people downloaded the app in a matter of weeks.

Woman, 92, allegedly killed son who wanted to put her in a nursing home

A 92-year-old woman allegedly killed her son in Arizona because she did not want to be sent to an assisted living facility, authorities said.

Anna Mae Blessing was charged with first degree murder, aggravated assault and kidnapping after authorities found her 72-year-old son dead Monday at their home in Fountain Hills, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said.
Blessing hid two pistols in the pockets of her robe and shot her son several times in his bedroom, the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Her son's girlfriend was also in the room and said she heard Blessing telling her son she was tired of the way he treated her, court documents said.
"From my understanding, she had thought about it for a few days because there was a dispute regarding her son wanting to put her in an assisted living home," Maricopa County Sgt. Bryant Vanejas told 3m360

How Angelique Kidjo, Omotola Jalade, and other stars turned up at the Afrikan Shrine to party with Emmanuel Macron

Nigerian celebrities turned up at the new Afrikan Shrine to celebrate a night of culture with French President, Emmanuel Macron who was hosted by the Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode.

French President, Emmanuel Macron was in Nigeria yesterday to witness the signing of new deal with the country at the state house Abuja before he made his way to the New Afrika Shrine in Lagos.

During his speech, the French President said he never expected to return to Nigeria under these circumstances almost 17 years after his first stay in the country.

In his words, 'It's very emotional for me to come back to Nigeria 17 years after my stay. I didn't imagine I’d be back in these conditions. Democracy is never written in advance. I'm probably a good example of that'.

Speaking about the shrine and why he chose to visit, he said, 'the Shrine is an iconic cultural hub. And I say with a lot of humility that I recognize the importance of African culture'.

Some of the celebs who were at the event included, Banky W, Omotola Jalade, Dakore Akande, Alexx Ekubo, Rita Dominic, Desmond Elliot, Angelique Kidjo, Yemi Alade, and Ramsey Nouah.