Saturday marked an important day for NASA — and SpaceX: A Falcon 9 carrying a Crew Dragon capsule on top launched for the ISS from launch pad 39¹ (the same that was used for the Apollo and Space Shuttle missions). Its lone passenger is a test dummy called Ripley² and some cargo, and it’s the second-to-last step of proving that SpaceX can launch actual humans into space. If an in-flight launch abort system test³, planned for June, goes well, then SpaceX might launch the first astronauts into space in July. This would be the first American-launched crewed vessel since the last Space Shuttle flight in 2011.

NASA’s and SpaceX’s relationship hasn’t always been the easiest one. NASA is a huge bureaucratic organization that moves slowly and emphasizes safety, while SpaceX represents the Silicon Valley startup spirit of trying out new things. But they needed each other. SpaceX needed NASA contracts for transporting cargo to the ISS to fund ongoing development for the Falcon 9 rocket, while NASA got significantly cheaper rockets in return, something that no competitor (or NASA itself) has been able to match. And now this cooperation looks to culminate in SpaceX being the first private company to launch humans into space — something they wouldn’t be able to do without NASA:

“If we did this the NASA way, we’d do it the classic old way, we would base it on our pedigree and our other activities,” the space agency’s chief of human spaceflight, Bill Gerstenmaier, said recently regarding the commercial crew program. “This way, they’re pushing us, and they’re forcing us to look at things in a new way, and I think that’s really cool.”

This Sunday, after raising its orbit to meet the ISS, Crew Dragon performed an automated docking. Up until now, Dragon cargo capsules were berthed, meaning they approached the ISS and then stopped. Astronauts then use a robotic arm to grab them and move it towards a docking port. Crew Dragon does not need this assistance, and instead is able to dock without help from the ISS.

This is an important step for human exploration in space. Up until now, the Russian Soyuz system was the only rocket capable of launching humans into space, a role where it proved to be extremely reliable. But it is also rather old, and both SpaceX’ and Boeing’s efforts for crewed flight promise easier, and cheaper, human transportation into low-earth orbit. Without this capability, it would be impossible to expand our reach beyond our planet. More importantly for our planet, the more people can actually see it from above, and realize for themselves just how thin and fragile the atmosphere protecting us and everything else on this world is, the more awareness will build that we need to protect our home.

Making a List, Securing it Twice

Keeping your devices safe and secure, while also protecting your own privacy, is no easy task, even for seasoned professionals. So this Security Checklist is a handy tool that covers everything important, including recommendations, tips, and resources to keep yourself save online.

Naming Things

Among programmers, one of the hardest known problems is naming things. Choosing good names can make the difference between readable and confusing code. But some organizations go the other way: the new USB 3.2 standard makes an effort to be extra confusing. It supports a theoretical maximum of 20Gb/s, but allows cables that only support lower speeds to also be branded USB 3.2. So a cable that supports up to 5Gb/s is now called USB 3.2 Gen 1, ones that support up to 10Gb/s are called, USB 3.2 Gen 2, and those that support the maximum speed of 20Gb/s are called USB 3.2 Gen 3, just kidding, that would be sensible, of course they’re called USB 3.2 Gen 2x2.

Even the USB-IF (the organization in charge of the USB standard) seems to recognize that this is somewhat confusing, so they decided to rename, nope, kidding again, they just went with “SuperSpeed USB 20Gbs” as consumer branding for the fastest kind of cable.

So if you’re in the market for a USB 3.2 cable, be aware that there will be a lot of confusing nomenclature out there.

Naming Things is Hard

What are eggplants, tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, and broccoli? If your answer is “vegetables,” you’re right, and wrong, at the same time. Scientifically, eggplants, tomatoes, and bell peppers are fruits, mushrooms are fungi, and broccoli are flowers. But culturally, we identify them all as vegetables, making “vegetable” a weird term that is both more specific and broader than the thing it describes: What Is a Vegetable? Do They Even Exist? (via kottke.org, who also explains why the meat from pigs & cows is called pork & beef)

📖 Weekly Longreads 📚

Silicon Valley hype gone wrong: Inside Elizabeth Holmes’s Final Months at Theranos

🦄 Unicorn Chaser 🦄

Cat ladders: a creative solution for felines in flats – in pictures