An investigation is still underway as to what happened to SpaceShip 2, the experimental Virgin Galactic sub-orbital space plane that broke up in flight and killed the craft’s co-pilot last Friday. The crash comes after a private unmanned Antares rocket blew up last week. No one was hurt in that incident.
Here’s how SpaceShip 2 works: the small spaceship is taken up to about 50,000 feet by a carrier aircraft. The craft separate and the spaceship ignites a rocket motor to complete its trip out of the atmosphere. The spaceplane then performs this “feathering” maneuver to re-enter safely, and it now appears this is where things went wrong. The NTSB says it appears the co-pilot may have initiated the feathering sequence too soon, leading to the vehicle’s breakup.
Again, the crash is still under investigation, and we’ll update you with any new information.
You may not know it, but here at Digital Trends, we review a fair number of appliances. Why? Well, appliances, like fridges and washing machines, are getting smarter and more connected every day, and perhaps nothing illustrates that trend better than the MAID oven.
Now on Kickstarter, the MAID oven is both a microwave and a regular oven, so you really get two devices in one. But what’s really great about the MAID oven is how it works. You can talk to it, use gestures, or tap the front touchscreen. It’s web connected, so it has access to correct cooking settings for thousands of recipes and can even help you make a complex dish. It can even learn what you like to eat and help you follow a diet. And of course, there’s an app for it.
Seems like those are good ideas because the MAID project was looking to raise 50 grand – and as of yesterday, they’ve done it. Want a MAID? Just pony up $409 for an early edition, but they’re going fast.
Following their buyout by Apple, the future of the Beats Music service is likely dim, but that hasn’t stopped Southwest Airlines from adding the service for free on select flights – and with live music on the planes to kick it off, no less.
Lucky passengers aboard flight 732 from Dallas to Chicago got serenaded by popsters Cobra Starship, while folks on the 1527 from Portland to Denver got a solid dose of modern bluegrass with Elephant Revival.
No word if there was any free moonshine on that flight.
Your host today is Caleb Denison. Miss a day? Watch all the episodes of DT Daily right here. And be sure to catch our latest podcast.
