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Minor League Baseball Spacecraft Lands on Mars - 300 million mile journey

Team’s Logo Goes Viral A NASA spacecraft designed to burrow beneath the surface of Mars landed on Minor league the red planet Monday after a six-month, baseball teams 300 million-mile journey and a perilous, occasionally get a six-minute descent through the roselittle cheeky, but hued atmosphere. Flight controllers at a new Alabama NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in team is seeing Pasadena, California, leaped out of their merchandise seats and erupted in screams, applause, y out the door after it decided to talk and laughter as the news came in. a little trash. Meet the Madison-based “Touchdown con rmed!” a ight controller announced. e three-legged InSight Rocket City Trash Pandas, which spacecraft reached the surface after being slowed by a parachute and braking unveiled their logo on Saturday—a engines, the space agency said. Updates were coming in via radio signals that take raccoon lifting o in a trash-can like more than eight minutes to cross the nearly 100 million miles between Mars and rocket. " e name has gone viral," Earth. What you need to know, per the AP: managing partner Ralph Nelson said. "We eclipsed over $100,000 worth of e plan called for the spacecraft to go from 12,300mph to zero in six minutes at merchandise in the rst couple of days. as it pierced the Martian atmosphere and settled on the surface. Everybody and their brother is writing that they want merchandise."O cial “Landing on Mars is one of the hardest single jobs that people have to do in team colors are "Space Black, Rocket planetary exploration,” said InSight’s lead scientist, Bruce Banerdt. “It’s such a Red, Sky Blue and Trashcan Gray." di cult thing, it’s such a dangerous thing that there’s always a fairly uncomfortably large chance that something could go wrong.”

Life expectancy has fallen for a 3rd year Mars has been the graveyard for a multitude of space missions. Up to now, the in a row in US success rate at the red planet has been only 40%, counting every attempted yby, orbital ight and landing by the US, Russia, and other countries since 1960. e In 1918, the double whammy of World US, however, has pulled o seven successful Mars landings in the past four deWar I and the worldwide u pandemic cades, not counting InSight, with only one failed touchdown. No other country drove down American life expectancy has managed to set and operate a spacecraft on the dusty red surface. for a third year in a row. A century later, another triple-year decline has InSight was shooting for Elysium Planitia, a plain near the Martian equator that been recorded—and this time, suicide the InSight team hopes is as at as a parking lot in Kansas with few, if any, rocks. and drug overdoses are major causes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's annual report, US life expectancy dropped to 78 years is is no rock-collecting expedition. Instead, the stationary 800-pound lander will use its 6-foot robotic arm to place a mechanical mole and seismometer on the ground. e self-hammering mole will burrow 16 feet down to measure the planet’s internal heat, while the seismometer listens for possible quakes.and 7 months in 2017, down around a month from the year before, the AP Nothing like this has been attempted before on Mars, where no lander has dug reports. Men could expect to live 76.1 deeper than several inches, and no seismometer has ever worked. By examining years, and women 81.1. Public health the interior of Mars, scientists hope to understand how our solar system’s rocky experts called the statistics alarming, planets formed 4.5 billion years ago and why they turned out so di erent—Mars noting that early deaths among middle- cold and dry, Venus and Mercury burning hot, and Earth hospitable to life. aged people did the most to bring life expectancy down After 22 consecutivew InSight has no life-detecting capability, however. at will be left to future rovers. years of steady rises. NASA’s Mars 2020 mission, for instance, will collect rocks that will eventually be brought back to Earth and analyzed for evidence of ancient life.

As the second anniversary of Prince’s death passed his heirs have yet to collect a dollar of his estimated $200 million estate. Bankers, lawyers, and consultants have earned millions from it. The long saga to se le the estate provides a cautionary tale about dying withThe survivor of a Hawaii shark a ack has had run-ins with some of nature’s fiercest predators before. Specificalout a will, as Prince did when he died of an accidental overdose at his suburban Minneapolis studio ly, Dylan McWilliams has previously suffered bites from both a bear and a venomous snake, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The 20-yearold was reportedly bi en by a 6- to 8-foot tiger shark in the waters off Kauai while treating himself to some much-deserved boogie boarding a er days of helping out the island’s victims of recent historic flooding. Just months earlier, McWilliams had to get nine staples in his neck a er he was woken up by an angry 280-pound black bear while sleeping outdoors at a Colorado summer camp. That shocking encounter alone was enough to land McWilliams in national news—he told People he had to fight off the bear as it dragged him some 12 feet. McWilliams said he used a similar tactic with the shark, which he gave a swi kick before swimming for his life back to shore. However, it’s probably for the best that McWilliams didn’t try that with the pygmy faded ra lesnake that bit him three years ago while on a hike in Utah. McWilliams walked away from what was luckily just a “dry bite,” with only enough venom to make him sick for a couple days. So what’s this guy’s deal with run-ins and terrifying animals? “I’m either really lucky or really unlucky,” he told the Star-Advertiser.

Athletes are usually known for their strength and speed, but three big names can also add “politeness” to their CVs. e National League ShopInRI 5

What you may know: U2’s new album, Songs of Experience, came out in early December. What you may not know: Bono apparently almost died while making it. at’s per a new interview with Rolling Stone co-founder Jann Wenner in which the U2 frontman doesn’t reveal exactly what happened, but notes he considers it an “extinction event.” He explains that such a happening for people “could be psychological or it could be physical,” and for him it was physical. He says it was in sync with the “political apocalypse” going on in the US and abroad and that “you get warning signs, and then you realize that you are not a tank.” Bono also talks about how this neardeath experience shaped the album. But what has raised more than a few eyebrows is his assessment in the interview of the current state of the industry for male musicians and the “rage” that should be at the

10 Most Polite Stars of 2017 center of rock music. “I think music has gotten very girly,” Bono notes. “And there are some good things about that, but hip-hop is the only place for young male anger at the moment—and that’s not good.” at remark has spurred online eyerolling, with Rebecca Fishbein noting at Jezebel that white of Junior Cotillions, a group that trains kids male musicians are “relegated only in ballroom dancing (as well as to “act and to releasing their rage at being the learn to treat others with honor, dignity, least oppressed members of sociand respect for better relationships,” per its ety via mediums like lm, televiwebsite), has released its annual list of the sion, national lawmaking, company “best-mannered” celebrities in 2017. e CEOing, and Twitter-threading.” person who would most earn Miss Manners’ And for the Independent, Roisin nod of approval: pro golfer Rickie Fowler, O’Connor says Bono’s remarks who showed “consistently well-mannered “reduce hip-hop to the laziest posconduct both on and o the golf course,” the sible stereotype of ‘aggressive’ black NLJC said in a statement to USA Today. masculinity,” while his “pejorative” “We believe this year’s student nominations use of the word “girly” seems to ig(and our ultimate winners) are a reminder nore that some of U2’s biggest hits that, whether you are a celebrity, athlete, mu- have been romantic ballads. “Rock sician, or politician, America’s young people music never was, and never should are watching and they do value character.” be, simply a place to channel male Last year’s top spot went to gymnast Sim- anger,” O’Connor writes. one Biles. Rounding out the top 10 this year, in addition to Fowler: Game of rones fans are going to Aly Raisman, Gymnast have to wait a while for the nal season—and it’s only going to be six epiDeshaun Watson, Houston Texans QB sodes long. HBO has con rmed that the nal instalment of its biggest-ever Joanna Gaines, Fixer Upper star and soon-to-be mom of ve hit won’t be released until some time in 2019. It will be shorter than previous series, though some episodes may Sadie Robertson, Duck Dynasty star be extra-long. Production of Season 8 began in October and is expected to David Beckham, Former pro soccer player wrap up in mid-2018. Producers say multiple endings will be lmed to Selena Gomez, Singer avoid leaks e move gives George RR Martin more time to nish the next omas Rhett, Country music performer book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, though the HBO series is still Matt Kuchar, Pro Golfer expected to reveal the end of the saga before his nal book is released. MarMeghan Markle, actress and soon-towife of Prince Harry be tin is also involved with ve Game of rones prequels now in development, reports Entertainment Weekly.

Hawaii Shark Attack Victim Also Had Bear, Rattlesnake Run-Ins

“Game of rones” Won’t Return Until 2019... Final Season Will Only Have Six Episodes

Prince's $200M Estate

Remains Untouched on April 21, 2016, and the heirs can’t quit squabbling. Here’s a look at where things stand: Even though it’s been nearly two years since Prince died, the executor of the estate, Comerica Bank and Trust, can’t split the money among Prince’s six surviving siblings until the Internal Revenue Service and executor agree on the estate’s value when Prince died. It’s not clear when that might happen. The IRS and state of Minnesota are entitled to collect about half, though the estate can stretch out the payments over time. Court filings several months a er Prince’s death suggested that it was worth around $200 million before taxes. The actual value remains one of the biggest secrets in the case, hidden in sealed and redacted documents. The actual valuation could have gone up or down since then. That’s because the various a orneys, accountants, and industry experts at that point had not yet finished appraisals and deals for the use of his music, videos, and assets including his Paisley Park studio. An eastern Minnesota teen who asked her celebrity crush Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to prom got a huge surprise when he actually responded, per the AP. Stillwater Area High School senior Katie Kelzenberg asked the actor to "Rock" it with her at the school's May 5 prom in a Twi er video posted last week, the Pioneer Press reports. The self-proclaimed fan was dressed like The Rock in the video, sporting a black turtleneck, jeans, a gold necklace, and fanny pack. She also showed off her collection of Johnson-related merchandise, including a pillow, T-shirts, and an action figure. Johnson's recorded response was played over the school intercom Friday. A Warner Bros. repre-

'The Rock' Couldn't Make

Teen's Prom But Still sentative contacted school officials ThursCame Up Big day about the surprise message, says spokeswoman for the district. a Johnson said he admires Kelzenberg's courage but that he won't be able to a end prom because he'll be in Hawaii filming Jungle Cruise. Instead, Johnson rented out a nearby movie theater on Saturday for Kelzenberg and more than 230 friends and family to watch his latest movie, Rampage. Johnson even covered the cost of snacks and drinks for the theater. "I couldn't believe it. I was so surprised," Kelzenberg says. "I just kept thinking, 'He saw me! He knows who I am!'" Kelzenberg says she became a fan of Johnson's five years ago. Her favorite movies of his include Central Intelligence and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. 4 Shop In RI

Erriyon Knighton became the youngest male to make the US Olympic track and on April 21, 2016, and the heirs can’t quit squabbling. Here’s a look at where things stand: Even though it’s been nearly two years since Prince died, the executor of the estate, Comerica Bank and Trust, can’t split the money among Prince’s six surviving eld team in nearly 60 years, and he also now has two big record-busters under siblings until the Internal Revenue Service when Prince died. and executor agree on the estate’s value his belt to boot. e 17-year-old came in third place in the nals for the men’s It’s not clear when that might happen. The IRS and state of Minnesota are entitled to collect about half, though the estate can stretch out the payments over time. Court filings several months a er Prince’s death suggested that it was worth around $200 200-meter race, clinching his spot on Team USA for the Tokyo Games. is million before taxes. The actual value remains one of the biggest secrets in the case, hidden in sealed and redacted documents. The actual valuation could have gone up or down since then. That’s because the various a orneys, accountants, and industry achievement came a er Knighton came in rst in the semi nals with a time of experts at that point had not yet finished appraisals and videos, and assets including his Paisley Park studio. deals for the use of his music, 19.88 seconds, a sprint that beat the sentative contacted school officials Thursunder-20 2004 record of 19.93 seconds day about the surprise message, says a set by a then-17-year-old Usain Bolt. In spokeswoman for the district. the nals, Knighton then proceeded to Johnson said he admires Kelzenberg's beat his Saturday record, coming in at 19.84 seconds, just behind 23-year-old courage but that he won't be able to a end prom because he'll be in Hawaii filming Jungle Cruise. Instead, Johnson rented out Noah Lyles’ 19.74 seconds and 22-yearold Kenny Bednarek’s 19.78 seconds. a nearby movie theater on Saturday for Kelzenberg and more than 230 friends and family to watch his latest movie, Rampage. Johnson even covered the cost of snacks is is the second Bolt youth record and drinks for the theater. "I couldn't believe it. I was so surprised," Kelzenberg that Knighton has broken: In June at a Florida meet, Knighton ran the 200 in says. "I just kept thinking, 'He saw me! He knows who I am!'" Kelzenberg says she became a fan of Johnson's five years ago. 20.11 seconds, displacing Bolt’s under-18 record from 2003 of 20.13. Knighton Her favorite movies of his include Central Intelligence and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. counts Bolt, Lyles, and retired sprinter and Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson as among his inspirations. With this latest accomplishment, Knighton will be the youngest American man to make the Olympic track and eld squad since Jim Ryun quali ed for the 1,500-meter race in 1964, also at the age of 17. UFO Report Is In: Government Can’t Explain What’s Out There Pentagon will step up its data collection on sightings The federal government released its anticipated report on UFOs con rming that more than 100 of them remain unidenti ed. A er reviewing reports of sightings since 2004, the government can’t say whether they can be explained by atmospheric visual tricks or extraterrestrial life, or neither. ere’s no evidence that aliens are behind the ights, but there’s no evidence that they’re not. ere’s also no data to attribute the sightings to secret US weapons programs or unknown technology belonging to China or Russia, but the report said those remain possibilities. It said an American company could be behind the technology, but o cials dismissed that. e full report, about what the government now calls unidenti ed aerial phenomena, can be read online. e UAPs don’t all move the same way, the report says, so they might have varied origins. “Some UAP appeared to remain stationary in winds alo , move against the wind, maneuver abruptly, or move at considerable speed, without discernible means of propulsion,” the report says. One o cial said, “ ere is no one answer about what these UAP are.” e lack of answers could well increase speculation about the possibilities. e report broke down ve categories of potential explanations, including human-made oating junk such as balloons and plastic bags, as well as weather activity that fooled cameras or sensors. In the end, only one of the 144 sightings was explained by airborne junk. e most intriguing category, the last, where the government put sightings it was unable to generate a theory about, was “other.” e Pentagon plans to improve its data collection on the sightings, using arti cial intelligence and machine learning.

Two Brothers Walked 2800 Feet While 1600 Feet in the Air

In June, a group of 20 adventurers set a record for the longest highline ever to be walked in California. What that means: ey walked 2,800 feet—while 1,600 feet in the air. Bay Area brothers Moises and Daniel Monterrubio led the group, which spent six days rappelling from cli s and hanging high in the air above Yosemite National Park to string the line from Ta Point across to a tree on an outcropping. ey then spent four days walking the highline, which is a form of a slackline, not a tightrope. As NPR explains, that means the line will dip and sway, and walkers must maintain balance as that happens.

Most wear safety harnesses while they do so, including the 26- and 23-year-old brothers, both of whom fell during their rst attempts. Ultimately, Moises and another member of the group, Eugen Cepoi, were able to make it across the nylon line, which was one to two inches wide and a few millimeters thick, without falling. It took Moises 37 minutes. Daniel says stringing the line, which they had approval from the park to do, was more dangerous than walking it. e record highline length for the entire US is 3,200 feet. e brothers, who are training to be rope-access technicians, hope to one day break that record too.