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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.

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The Mesmerizing Geometry of Malaysia’s Most Complex...

August 10, 2020

On a 2019 episode of The Great British Baking Show, judge Paul Hollywood looks like he’s choosing his words very carefully when he speaks. “I think this is one of the hardest cake designs to make,” he says, referring to the gauntlet the judges have just thrown down for the contestants: to bake kek lapis Sarawak. “There’s nowhere to hide. We will see the problems.” Lapis means “layers” in Bahasa Malaysia, Malaysia’s national language, and Sarawak is a state...

Palace of Portici in Portici, Italy

August 10, 2020

Charles of Bourbon, King of Naples and Sicily, famously commissioned the construction of the spectacular Royal Palace of Caserta. However, this was not the first royal residence he had constructed. In 1738 after a visit to Portici positively impressed the young king and his consort, he decided to commission a new royal palace in the small town just east of Naples. Famous architects, painters, and sculptors of the time were called in to take part in the project. The design...

Droagh Motte in Mid and East Antrim,...

August 10, 2020

The Droagh Motte, located in Carnfunnock Country Park, was constructed during the 12th-century by settling Normans as a defense against the native Irish. The structure consisted of huge earth mounds known as mottes, where defensive watchtower structures were constructed to provide a clear field of vision from all sides of the settlement. The mottes were also surrounded by a ditch that provided more protection and a strategical advantage. Sometimes these mottes contained extensions known as baileys where the watchmen...

Stationary Figures Mosaics in New York, New...

August 10, 2020

Now, for those passing through New York City’s 23rd Street Station in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, there’s a little eye-catching humor to go with one’s commute. There, a series of colorful, larger-than-life mosaics feature Weimaraner dogs in human poses and clothing—the work of the famous artist/photographer William Wegman, who lives nearby. The installation, entitled Stationary Figures, is made up of 11 large, detailed mosaic murals throughout the underground warren that is the 23rd Street Station, and was commissioned by...

This Museum’s Broom Closet Is Actually Full...

August 10, 2020

In an old velvet mill in the picturesque New England town of Mystic, Connecticut, there’s an unassuming door marked “Brooms.” But instead of a dusty collection of mops and buckets, anyone who opens that door will find hundreds and hundreds of boats, from ancient canoes to postwar motorboats. Together, they make up part of Mystic Seaport Museum’s historic watercraft collection, one of the largest in the United States. Because of its location on a sheltered estuary with easy access...

Nemuri-Neko (The Sleeping Cat) in Nikko, Japan

August 8, 2020

Tōshōgū Shrine, the burial place of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, is the most popular tourist attraction in Nikkō, Japan. It’s famous for its elaborate architecture, but also known for its carved details. One of the most notable carvings is the Nemuri-neko, or the Sleeping Cat, at the entrance to the okumiya (rear shrine). The carving is attributed to Hidari Jingorō, a legendary 17th-century artist who may or may not have been a real person. Although it...

The Native-American Origins of Gumbo

August 7, 2020

The secret to whipping up a gumbo that makes your neighbors jealous is in Kisatchie National Forest. At least, that’s what John Oswald Colson and Dustin Fuqua might tell you. Every summer, Colson and Fuqua make their way through the longleaf pines of Central Louisiana until they find a wispy, unassuming tree with mitten-shaped leaves low enough to pick. This is the sassafras tree, and the highly coveted, gumbo-elevating herb made from its dried and pulverized leaves is called...

Astrologers Were the Quants of the Ancient...

August 7, 2020

This story was excerpted and adapted from the author’s recent book, A Scheme of Heaven: The History of Astrology and the Search for our Destiny in Data. Copyright (c) 2020 by Alexander Boxer. Used with permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. The location was perfect for a new capital city. There were, of course, the standard prophecies that a great metropolis was destined to arise there. Even more persuasive, perhaps, were the...

Inside the Hidden Natural History Museum of...

August 7, 2020

In the week before India went into its three-month coronavirus lockdown, Rahul Khot was a busy man. The curator of the wildlife collection at the Bombay Natural History Society in Mumbai, Khot was working to ensure that the nearly 138,000 specimens under his care would be okay without regular supervision. “We weren’t really worried because we have foolproof practices,” he says. Still, he wanted to be prepared. Khot’s team checked that the specimens were properly stored and that chemicals...

Meloria Tower in Livorno, Italy

August 7, 2020

Just off the town of Livorno, in Tuscany, there is a rocky shoal known as Meloria. Now part of a marine protected area, in ancient times this skerry constituted a dangerous hazard for ships navigating the area. For this reason, in 1157, the Pisans built a lighthouse on one of the rocks that breached the surface, to signal the presence of the shoal. Meloria was the site of a large battle in 1284 between the armies of Pisa and...

Whitehead Boathouse in Whitehead, Northern Ireland

August 7, 2020

In the seaside County Antrim village of Whitehead, Northern Ireland, the Coastguard have always had saving lives and preventing smuggling on their minds. In fact, when the Coastguard service was first established in the 1820s, smuggling was its highest priority, because the illegal practice had become a major source of lost revenues for the country. And the Islandmagee peninsula where Whitehead resides had become a haven for smugglers. After many years operating from thatched cottages in the village, it...

The Wacky Taxidermy & Miniatures Museum in...

August 7, 2020

Paying homage to classic roadside attractions, The Wacky Taxidermy & Miniatures Museum contains well-over 60 dioramas and miniature scenes that feature taxidermy mice, squirrels, chipmunks, and raccoons dressed to match their environment. A 15-foot long mouse city street takes up one building alone and features 1:12 scale businesses such as a beauty salon, tattoo shop, coffee shop, and movie theatre. Other taxidermy pieces display representations of folklore creatures from around the world such as the jackalope, the wolpertinger, and...

Porcelain Boudoir of Maria Amalia of Saxony...

August 7, 2020

The Capodimonte porcelain factory, located on the Capodimonte hill on the outskirts of Naples, produced some of the most outstanding examples of Italian porcelain during the mid-18th century. The greatest work to hold this factory’s hallmark is the Porcelain Boudoir commissioned by the Queen of Naples, Maria Amalia of Saxony. Constructed between 1757 and 1759, the room was originally crafted inside the Palace of Portici, the new residence of the royal family completed just a few years prior. The...

Momotaro Shrine in Inuyama, Japan

August 7, 2020

Momotarō, also known as the Peach Boy, is one of the most famous characters in Japanese folklore. In most versions, he is born out of a giant peach and raised by an elderly couple until he grows into a strong young boy. With a bag full of kibi-dango (sweet millet dumpling) made by his foster mother, Momotarō sets off on a quest to fight a marauding horde of Oni, mythological ogre-demons. He gave some of the dumplings to a dog,...

Sigtuna Stora Gatan in Sigtuna, Sweden

August 7, 2020

Stora Gatan, or the large street, is a quaint little pedestrian street not unlike many others that can be found in old city centers. However, this street is special because its layout has not changed for nearly a millennium. Sigtuna was the first true city in Sweden, established by King Erik the Victorious. He wanted to make the city the country’s capital, but this was not an easy task. However, King Erik was a masterful diplomat and excellent at...

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