Designed by Dragon Tiny Homes, the Avalon home has an economical price tag, and packs a punch by fitting in three bedrooms inside a compact and cozy frame. This home has been designed for a small family and lets you enjoy a tiny home with a sense of spaciousness and some luxury. Based on a double-axle trailer and measuring 24 feet long, the Avalon home has a width of 8.6 feet, allowing it to be towed on a public road in North America without any permit. The exterior of the home features a finish in engineered wood.
Measuring almost 204 square feet, the home has been clad in shiplap. The interior of the home is placed around a central living/cooking area which contains a kitchen and a sofa. The amenities are a bit basic, but they’re almost a bit expensive. It features quartz countertops and stainless steel fittings, as well as a sink, electric stove, and space for a fridge and other appliances. There is also some cabinetry.
The bathroom is adjacent to the sink and can be entered via a sliding door. The bathroom includes a vanity sink, shower, and a flushing toilet. The main bedroom is downstairs and on the opposite end of the bathroom. The bedroom can be entered via a sliding door, and it has loads of headroom to stand straight. The space also includes a double bed. The Avalon also includes two typical tiny house-style lofts and both the bedrooms have low ceilings, and can be accessed via a removable ladder. One of the bedrooms is a standard bedroom, while the other is a playroom though it could also be used as an office, third bedroom, or storage space.
The Avalon is currently priced at US$74,950, but Dragon Tiny Homes can elevate the finish and furniture for an extra cost, so you can customize and uplift the home according to your liking and preference.
The Ferrari 12Cilindri is a remarkable embodiment of the brand’s rich history and its unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional performance. This model proudly carries on the tradition of Ferrari’s front-mounted V12 two-seaters, a lineage that can be traced back to the iconic Grand Tourers of the 1950s and ’60s. These legendary vehicles, such as the […]
Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule, which has been plagued by years of setbacks and cost overruns amounting to roughly $1.5 billion, is about to take its first flight with humans on board. Boeing was chosen 10 years ago alongside SpaceX to develop a spacecraft that could ferry astronauts from US soil to the International Space Station (ISS), thus allowing NASA to end its reliance on Russia for crewed flights. The companies were each awarded a fixed-price contract under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program: $4.2 billion to Boeing for its CST-100 (Starliner) and $2.6 billion for SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.
Their initial deadline of 2017 proved to be a bit too ambitious. SpaceX managed its first crewed flight in 2020 — and about a dozen since — while Boeing has struggled to get its Starliner capsule off the ground. But as soon as May 6, it’ll finally have a crewed flight under its belt.
Starliner is now at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex-41 attached to the ULA Atlas V rocket that’ll send it on its way to the ISS. Liftoff is planned for 10:34PM ET on Monday, May 6. The capsule will be carrying two NASA astronauts: Butch Wilmore, the mission’s commander, and Suni Williams, who will serve as pilot.
NASA
Not only is it Starliner’s first crewed flight, but this test is only its third flight ever. The spacecraft (without anyone aboard) successfully demonstrated its ability to reach, dock and undock from the ISS in spring 2022 when it conducted its second Orbital Flight Test. On its previous attempt, in 2019, Starliner failed to make it all the way to the ISS thanks to a software issue that resulted in it burning too much fuel (one of a few problems Boeing missed after it opted at the time not to do end-to-end testing).
It’s suffered numerous other problems, too, in the years since Boeing bagged the NASA contract, causing the company to slip far behind SpaceX. There was a toxic fuel leak during a 2018 test. Then corrosion caused valves in the propulsion system to stick, waylaying Boeing’s plans for a 2021 launch, asArs Technica reported earlier this year. Problems with the spacecraft’s parachute deployment system derailed plans for a launch last summer, and the team had to remove around a mile of flammable tape.
Boeing has also had its fair share of troubles beyond Starliner during this time, facing increased scrutiny into the safety of its airplanes — particularly the 737 Max line — after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, on top of other less serious incidents. Most recently, a panel blew off a 737 Max 9 mid-flight in January, forcing it to make an emergency landing.
The May 6 flight marks a major step toward Starliner’s certification as a crew transport system that NASA can actually put into its rotation for trips to the ISS. That will give the space agency the redundancy it’s looking for; with both Crew Dragon and Starliner in operation, it’ll always have a backup option in case something happens to one of them. Both NASA and Boeing have been adamant that the capsule has been put through an exhaustive review process and is ready to support astronauts. NASA wrapped up its Crew Flight Test Readiness Review of Starliner on April 25.
“The first crewed flight of a new spacecraft is an absolutely critical milestone,” NASA associate administrator Jim Free said during a briefing on the completion of the review. “The lives of our crewmembers Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are at stake — we don’t take that lightly at all.” The latest review is “the culmination of a detailed review season that has really thoroughly established that we are really ready to go on this flight,” said NASA chief flight director Emily Nelson.
NASA/Frank Michaux
It’s expected to take about 24 hours for Starliner to reach the ISS after it lifts off, and as this is a test flight, its onboard crew will have a lengthy task list of systems and equipment checks to complete across every phase of the journey. While Starliner can operate autonomously, the crew will test its manual controls and make sure it’s in good shape for manual abort scenarios. After Starliner docks to the space station, the astronauts will spend about a week there working with the current crew, Expedition 71.
Then, they’ll undock from the orbiting lab and head home — and put Starliner through the test of reentry and landing. A few potential landing sites in the southwest US have been picked out, including the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Wilmore and Williams have been training for Starliner’s first flight for years. “They know the vehicle inside and out, and they’ve been part of the test environment that’s developed the Starliner capability,” said Steve Stich, manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. All involved in last Thursday’s briefing acknowledged that they may encounter some unexpected challenges, and that there’s much to be learned from this first crewed flight. “It’s a good reminder for all of us that the team has practiced, run sims, run models, but there’s nothing like flying in the space environment,” said Free.
The NASA and Boeing officials also expressed their confidence that the craft itself and the teams handling its journey are well-prepared for the job. The astronauts echoed these sentiments upon arriving at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t ready,” Wilmore said, addressing questions from the press. “We are ready, the spacecraft’s ready, and the teams are ready.”
If Starliner for whatever reason can’t launch on the 6th, it’ll have backup opportunities on May 7, 10 and 11. After the Crew Flight Test is complete and the astronauts are back home, NASA will get to work certifying the spacecraft for future missions bringing crews to and from the ISS. It’s currently targeting 2025 for Starliner to begin duty.
“I don’t want to get too far ahead because we still need to fly a successful mission,” said Free ahead of Starliner’s launch, “but when we do, and when we certify Starliner, the United States will have two unique human space transportations that provide critical redundancies for ISS access.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/boeings-starliner-spacecraft-may-finally-take-its-first-crewed-flight-next-week-140056150.html?src=rss
Bose has this week introduced its new SoundLink Max portable Bluetooth speaker which is now available to preorder priced at $399. The SoundLink Max speaker features the Bose Articulated Array configuration, consisting of three precisely positioned transducers, working in harmony to create a wide, immersive soundstage that envelops the listener. The inclusion of two custom-designed […]
Welcome to the era of the Thunderbolt 5 and the Super Cable from Horizon, a innovative innovation designed to transform your digital connectivity. Whether you’re setting up a home office, diving into immersive gaming, or editing professional audio/video, this cable is engineered to cater to your most demanding needs. With its unprecedented speed, power delivery, […]
You’ve probably had your share of seeing articles, YouTube videos, and Instagram posts about beautifully crafted notebooks and journals. Despite the prevalence of smartphones, computers, and digital devices, there is still a very strong culture around paper notebooks and the tools that support their use. That said, notebooks aren’t the only medium for this kind of creative activity, and loose-leaf paper has some benefits as well, at least as long as you have a way of keeping them together or writing on them on a flat surface. This extremely simple clipboard offers that kind of experience for artists, architects, and engineers, and it even adds a feature you’ve probably never seen on any clipboard before.
Designer: Studio SHFT
Clipboards have been around for decades, maybe even centuries, but very few people actually give them a second thought. You’d usually see them in offices, store rooms, or even on the field to hold a few sheets of paper together, mostly checklists or forms to be filled while standing up. Unfortunately, that underestimates the utility of this tool, and this all-metal clipboard demonstrates how you can take advantage of its features with a few ingenious design details.
The most striking thing about the FOLD B is that it’s made from a single sheet of stainless steel. Although most clipboards are often made with plastic, cardboard, or even cork, a steel one isn’t at all unheard of yet extremely rare. Even rarer is the fact that it’s really just one flat sheet of metal, without even a clip to keep paper in place.
That function is instead delegated to two small cylindrical magnets that are strong enough to hold the paper down, though probably only a single sheet as well. The idea is to use the clipboard not as an organizer for loose-leaf paper but as a drawing board or canvas. You place a sheet of paper, “pin” it down with those two magnets, and start drawing, drafting, or writing to your heart’s content. The clipboard’s elevated rear drives home the fact that it’s really made for this kind of use case.
While it doesn’t have a paper clip, The one thing that does protrude from the top of the clipboard is a small rechargeable lamp. This assists the user to keep on working even in darker spaces, though it’s still better to have a properly lit environment anyway. This lamp is connected to the clipboard with screws, so it’s completely possible to remove it if you feel that it hinders rather than helps. Curiously, this built-in lighting also opens the design to more uses, like a guest book or a menu holder for restaurants.
Sudowrite, a leading provider of AI-assisted writing tools, has recently introduced a significant update, currently in a beta release. That promises to transform the way fiction writers can develop characters and build immersive worlds. A new world building update harnesses the power of advanced AI technology to enable the creation of AI world building, intricate […]
Curious about the brain of your computer? The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is crucial as it defines your computer’s capabilities and how efficiently it can run software applications. Here’s how you can find out what CPU your computer has and determine its speed. Knowing the type and speed of your CPU can help you understand […]
Apple is holding their new iPad event next week and we are looking forward to finding out more details about their new M4 iPad Pro. you’ll be pleased to know that significant developments are on the horizon with the expected launch of the new iPad Pro, anticipated to sport the advanced M4 chip. This leap […]
The need to transport your gear from one location to another without theft, damage or loss is an important factor especially when much of the hardware we are carrying is expensive electronics. On your journeys through bustling city streets or traversing across countries, the Korin HubPack 33 becomes your ultimate companion, ensuring that your belongings […]
