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Suborbital space tourism finally arrives | FCC prepares to run public C-band auction | The big four in the U.S. launch industry — United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — hope to be one of two providers that will receive five-year contracts later this year to launch national security payloads starting in 2022. | China’s launch rate stays high | The International Space Station is the largest ever crewed object in space.

 
Is it safe to go to big...
Is it safe to go to big sporting events during the pandemic? Not yet, but there are ways to make it safer if you go. “Yelling, chanting, hugging and generally pouring out our sports enthusiasm is still not the safest activity,” noted Jennifer Dowd, associate professor of population health at University of Oxford and chief scientific officer of Dear Pandemic, a website that offers expert opinions. If you do decide to go to a game, outdoor stadiums are safer...

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China launches core module for permanent space...
BEIJING (AP) — China on Thursday launched the core module for its first permanent space station that will host astronauts long-term. The Tianhe, or “Heavenly Harmony,” module blasted into space atop a Long March 5B rocket from the Wenchang Launch Center on the southern island province of Hainan, marking another major advance for the country’s space exploration program that has chalked up a series of accomplishments in recent months. The launch begins the first of 11 missions necessary to...

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The Latest: In GOP response, Scott says...
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Joe Biden’s first joint address to Congress (all times local): 11 p.m. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott has used the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s address to Congress to vow that “America is not a racist country.” Scott, the only Black Republican senator, seized on Biden’s calls earlier in the evening that passage of major police reform could help stamp out institutional racism nationwide. Scott countered that “today, kids are being...

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Chicago stages drive-through Wagner in underground garage
CHICAGO (AP) — Amid signs pointing “To Elevator” and advising drivers to “Take Parking Ticket With You,” the Rhinemaidens lament the theft of their gold, Siegfried is murdered, and Brünnhilde drives off in a red Mustang convertible to redeem the world. Welcome to opera in an underground parking garage. A year after Lyric Opera’s production of Richard Wagner’s complete “Ring” cycle was scuttled by the pandemic, the company has brought a bit of the epic back to life. But...

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Madrid glad it’s still in it after...
MADRID (AP) — Things didn’t go well for Real Madrid right from the start against Chelsea in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals. Despite being the home team, Madrid’s setup with three defenders failed miserably at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium on Tuesday with Chelsea easing through the defense and taking control early on. The English team scored once and could have added a few more before Madrid equalized from a set piece before halftime. It was...

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Bruins beat Penguins 3-1, tighten race in...
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Tuukka Rask turned aside 25 shots and the Boston Bruins edged the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 on Tuesday night to tighten the playoff race in the hyper-competitive East Division. David Krejci gave the Bruins the lead with his seventh goal of the season late in the second period. Brad Marchand and Taylor Hall scored in the third as Boston ended a two-game losing streak. Jeff Carter spoiled Rask’s bid for his 52nd career shutout with his 11th...

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Staal gets 2 power-play goals, Carolina beats...
DALLAS (AP) — Carolina captain Jordan Staal was in the right spot twice to score power-play goals and the Central Division-leading Hurricanes beat the playoff-chasing Dallas Stars 5-1 on Tuesday night. Sebastian Aho had a goal and two assists for the Hurricanes while Andrei Svechnikov, who they got with the second overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft held in the same building, had a career-high three assists. Jason Robertson had his 15th goal for Dallas to extend his...

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Perron posts goal, 2 assists; Blues beat...
ST. LOUIS (AP) — David Perron had a goal and two assists as the St. Louis Blues beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-1 on Monday night. Vladimir Tarasenko, Brayden Schenn, and Robert Thomas also scored, and Jordan Binnington made 30 saves as St. Louis won its second straight game against the Avalanche. Colorado won the season series 5-3. Nathan MacKinnon scored for Colorado, and Jonas Johansson had 16 saves. The Avalanche remain four points behind West Division-leading Vegas. Colorado has...

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Blackhawks’ Andrew Shaw retires after latest concussion
CHICAGO (AP) — Andrew Shaw, the gritty forward who played a key role in helping the Chicago Blackhawks win two Stanley Cup championships, announced his retirement Monday on the advice of his doctors after multiple concussions over the course of his career. The native of Belleville, Ontario, played 10 seasons in the NHL, seven with Chicago sandwiched around three with Montreal. In all, the fifth-round draft pick in 2011 piled up 116 goals, 131 assists and 573 penalty minutes...

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‘Nomadland’ wins best picture at a social...
Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland,” a wistful portrait of itinerant lives on open roads across the American West, won best picture Sunday at the 93rd Academy Awards, where the China-born Zhao also became just the second woman to win best director, and the first woman of color. The “Nomadland” victory, while widely expected, nevertheless capped the extraordinary rise of Zhao, a lyrical filmmaker whose winning film is just her third, and which — with a budget less than $5 million and...

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Hedman scores early in OT, Lightning beat...
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Victor Hedman scored 10 seconds into overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 4-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night. Brayden Point finished with three assists for Tampa Bay. Ondrej Palat had a goal and two assists. Mathieu Joseph and Alex Barre-Boulet also scored. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 19 shots for his league-leading 28th victory of the season. The Lightning moved within a point of idle Florida for second place in the...

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Oscars Latest: Frances McDormand wins her second...
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on the Oscars (all times local): 8:15 p.m. Frances McDormand has won the Oscar for best actress, and “Nomadland” triumphed in three of the top categories, including best picture and best director. It’s the second Oscar for McDormand, who also won best actress in 2018 for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” That Oscar was stolen at the post-show Governors Ball, though it was recovered before the night was over. McDormand plays a woman...

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The Oscars bring back red carpet glam...
NEW YORK (AP) — Red carpet glam was back Sunday at the Oscars with Andra Day and Carey Mulligan shimmering in award-worthy gold and Maria Bakalova among several stars in bright white princess gowns during the pandemic era’s first big parade of fashion. There was a strong showing of reds as well, along with belly-baring midriffs, the latter including Zendaya in standout yellow by Valentino and more than 183 carats of Bulgari diamonds from ears and neck to her...

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PSG held 1-1 by Barcelona in WCL...
PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain drew 1-1 at home to Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal, with Bayern Munich hosting Chelsea in the first leg of the other women’s semifinal later Sunday. Barcelona and PSG have been runner-up before — the French club twice and Spanish team once — but neither Chelsea nor Bayern have made it past the semifinals. PSG knocked out record seven-time champion Lyon in the quarterfinals, ending its bid for a...

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