An Idaho man allegedly plotted a terror attack on nearly two dozen Christian churches for the sake of the Islamic state‚ but he was thwarted by FBI informants.The FBI said agents were tracking Alexander Scott Mercurio for two years after he converted to Islam against his Christian parents'; wishes. Mercurio was arrested on Saturday a day before he allegedly planned to launch his attack coinciding with the end of the religious month of Ramadan. ";Thanks to the investigative efforts of the FBI‚ the defendant was taken into custody before he could act‚ and he is now charged with attempting to support ISIS';s mission of terror and violence‚"; read a statement from Attorney General Merrick Garland. FBI task force officer John Taylor II said in a sworn statement that Mercurio told him he planned to attack his father in order to gain access to his guns for the terror attack. Mercurio';s father had a locked cabinet with rifles‚ handguns‚ and ammunition. Mercurio allegedly planned to die in an act of martyrdom after attacking the churches. The statement alleges that Mercurio tried to build an explosive vest to be used during the attacks. ";A craving for mayhem and murder."; Prosecutors say that the teenager first converted to Islam during the coronavirus pandemic when the schools closed. ";I';ve stopped asking and praying for martyrdom because I don';t feel like I want to fight and die for the sake of Allah‚ I just want to die and have all my problems go away‚"; he allegedly wrote to the informant. ";I have motivation for nothing but fighting ... like some time of insatiable bloodlust for the life juice of these idolators; a craving for mayhem and murder to terrorize those around me. I need some better weapons than knives‚"; read a second message allegedly sent on March 21. He said that his plan was to storm each church‚ ";kill as many people as possible‚"; burn down the building‚ and then move on to the next church. Mercurio was arrested in Coeur dAlene and charged with providing material support and resources to ISIS. He could face up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted. Among the evidence amassed by the FBI is the image of Mercurio posing in front of an ISIS flag while making a gesture known to be used by terrorists. They were also able to recover the flag from his possessions. ";The Justice Department will continue to relentlessly pursue‚ disrupt‚ and hold accountable those who would commit acts of terrorism against the people and interests of the United States‚"; added Merrick in his statement. ISIS recently took responsibility for a horrendous attack at the Crocus Concert Hall in Moscow‚ where militants gunned down 145 people and injured hundreds more. Here';s more about the terror arrest: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Pennsylvania police arrested a man after finding that his elderly mother had been horrendously neglected in a residence in Upper Chichester Township.Police said they were called to the residence on Dresner Circle on Sunday by a neighbor who said they had not seen the woman for months and had noted that packages were beginning to stack up outside the door.When police performed the welfare check‚ no one answered the door. They saw the presence of flies and trash inside the home and forced entry out of fear that someone might be inside with a medical emergency.Once they gained entry‚ they encountered 51-year-old Daniel Klein inside as well as a strong odor coming from the home.Police asked Klein to allow them to check in on his mother‚ and they found her unconscious under a soiled blanket in the master bedroom of the home. Medics called to the home by police found maggots and dried feces when they removed the blanket from Klein';s mother. They also said that the woman was fused to the bed and she had what police referred to as ";ram';s horn toenails‚"; another indicator of neglect.WPVI-TV reported that the scene was so horrific that at least one officer wore a hazmat suit to investigate. Police said Klein allegedly told them that he was the sole caretaker of his mother. He added that she had been bedridden for weeks‚ but police suspected that it could have been months.Klein was arrested and charged with abusing a dependent person and reckless endangermentThe woman was transported to Crozer Chester Medical Center in critical condition. Klein was being held on bail of $50‚000.";This is one of the worst cases I';ve seen in my four years as district attorney here‚"; Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said. ";And for this person‚ the defendant Klein‚ to do this to his own mother‚ it';s just... I can';t even imagine.";A similar incident was reported in Louisiana in 2022 when a couple was arrested after authorities found Lacey Fletcher‚ their severely autistic daughter‚ fused to a couch after being neglected for a decade. The two later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and were each sentenced to 40 years in prison‚ but 20 years were suspended. Here';s more about the alarming arrest: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

How can future lunar exploration communicate from the far side of the Moon despite never being inline with the Earth? This is what a recent study submitted to Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics hopes to address as a pair of researchers from the IEEE Polytechnique Montral investigated the potential for a wireless power transmission method (WPT) comprised of anywhere from one to three satellites located at Earth-Moon Lagrange Point 2 (EMLP-2) and a solar-powered receiver on the far side of the Moon. This study holds the potential to help scientists and future lunar astronauts maintain constant communication between the Earth and Moon since the lunar far side of the Moon is always facing away from Earth from the Moons rotation being almost entirely synced with its orbit around the Earth.Here‚ Universe Today discusses this research with Dr. Gunes Karabulut Kurt‚ who is an associate professor at IEEE Polytechnique Montral and the studys co-author‚ regarding the motivation behind the study‚ significant results‚ follow-up research‚ and implications for WPT. So‚ what was the motivation behind this study?This research is motivated by the objective of overcoming the logistical and technical challenges associated with using traditional cables on the Moons surface‚ Dr. Kurt tells Universe Today. Laying cables on the Moons rough‚ dusty surface would lead to ongoing maintenance and wear problems‚ as lunar dust is highly abrasive. On the other hand‚ transporting large quantities of cables to the Moon requires a significant amount of fuel‚ which adds considerably to the missions costs.For the study‚ the researchers used a myriad of calculations and computer models to ascertain if one‚ two‚ or three satellites are sufficient within an EMLP-2 halo orbit to maintain both constant coverage of the lunar far side (LFS) and line of sight with the Earth. For context‚ EMLP-2 is located on the far side of the Moon with the halo orbit being perpendicularor sidewaysto the Moons orbit. The calculations involved in the study included the distances between each satellite‚ the antenna angles between the satellites and surface receiver‚ the amount of LFS surface coverage‚ and the amount of transmitted power between the satellites and LFS surface antennae. So‚ what were the most significant results from this study?Dr. Kurt tells Universe Today their models concluded that three satellites in an EMLP-2 halo orbit and operating at equal distances from each other could achieve continuous power beaming to a receiver optical antenna anywhere on the lunar far side while maintaining 100 percent LFS coverage and line of sight with the Earth. Aside triple satellite scheme that provides continuous LFS full coverage‚ even a two-satellite configuration provides full coverage during 88.60% of a full cycle around the EMLP-2 halo orbit‚ Dr. Kurt adds.Schematic from Figure 1 of the study displaying the wireless power transmission and receiver on the lunar far side with three satellites (SPS-1‚ SPS-2‚ and SPS-3) in a halo orbit at the Earth-Moon Lagrange Point 2. (Credit: Donmez &;amp; Kurt (2024))Regarding follow-up research‚ Dr. Kurt tells Universe Today‚ Our future studies will focus on more complex harvesting and transmission models to get closer to reality. On the other hand‚ an approach that takes into account the irregular nature of lunar dust and the variation in its density due to environmental factors such as subsolar angle and others. In the future‚ if research in this field continues‚ explore this experimentally with lunar dust simulants and lasers.This study comes as NASA is preparing to send astronauts to the Moon for the first time since 1972 with the Artemis program‚ whose goal will be to land the first woman and person of color on the lunar surface. With the success of the Artemis 1 mission in November 2022 that consisted of an uncrewed Orion capsule orbiting the Moon‚ NASA is currently targeting September 2025 for their Artemis 2 mission‚ which is scheduled to be a 10-day‚ 4-person crewed mission using the Orion capsule for a lunar flyby‚ whose goal will be to conduct a full systems checkout of the Orion capsule. Therefore‚ what implications can this study have for the upcoming Artemis missions‚ or any future human exploration of the Moon?The findings have implications for the design of energy transmission systems on the Moon‚ Dr. Kurt tells Universe Today. A better understanding of the wireless transmission disruptors such as lunar dust can lead to the development of more efficient and reliable systems for powering lunar missions and infrastructure‚ including those related to the Artemis program and future human exploration efforts.If successful‚ Artemis 2 will be followed by Artemis 3 in September 2026‚ which will also consist of a 4-person crew with two crew members landing on the lunar surface and an approximate mission duration of 30 days. This will be followed by Artemis 4‚ Artemis 5‚ and Artemis 6‚ which are currently scheduled for September 2028‚ September 2029‚ and September 2030‚ respectively‚ with each mission increasing in both the number of astronauts landing on the lunar surface along with anticipated deliveries of lunar habitat modules and lunar rovers‚ as well.Moreover‚ the Artemis mission is targeting the lunar south pole for its landing sites‚ Dr. Kurt tells Universe Today. This region is of particular interest due to the presence of peaks of eternal light (PELs)‚ which receive almost continuous sunlight and permanently shadowed regions (PSRs)‚ which are potential sites for resources such as water ice. These contrasting conditions are ideal for the application of wireless energy transmission (laser power beaming technology)‚ which could provide a continuous power supply in shadowed areas by transmitting energy wirelessly from illuminated regions.The reason these PSRs exist is due to the Moons low obliquity‚ or axial tilt‚ which the study notes is 6.68 degrees. For context‚ the Earths obliquity is 23.44 degrees. This means there are areas‚ and specifically craters‚ at both the north and south poles on the Moon that do not receive any sunlight‚ hence the name permanently shadowed regions. As noted by Dr. Kurt‚ these PSRs could be home to deposits of water ice within these deep‚ dark craters that astronauts could use for water‚ fuel‚ and other needs.The Artemis missions plan to deliver not only astronauts to the lunar surface‚ but a habitat and lunar rovers with the goal of establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon. This will provide opportunities for demonstrating new space technologies that can be used for both lunar exploration and future human missions to Mars‚ which are a part of NASAs Moon to Mars Architecture.Current missions plan to re-use Earth-proven technology‚ Dr. Kurt tells Universe Today. This mindset may undermine the blue-sky design approach‚ where researchers are encouraged to think freely‚ explore creative ideas‚ and push the boundaries of whats possible without being confined by constraints such as specific project requirements or backward compatibility. In our work we aim to include multi-functionality aspects‚ which are not a necessity for terrestrial applications but may turn out to be essential for future space missions.How will this wireless power transmission method help improve communication from the far side of the Moon to Earth in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell‚ and this is why we science!As always‚ keep doing science &;amp; keep looking up!The post Wireless Power Transmission Could Enable Exploration of the Far Side of the Moon appeared first on Universe Today.

It looks ever more promising.

What a photo opportunity!

James Brenner, the man charged in Dylan Rounds' death, reportedly led authorities to the burial site.

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