Blue Origin has achieved an important milestone with its New Glenn NG-1 rocket, successfully completing a 24-second hotfire of the rocket’s BE-4 engines in preparation for an expected test flight in the coming days. This was the first time the entire vehicle, including the first and second stages, were tested as a fully integrated system, alongside the ground systems at the launch pad. It gave the engineers a chance to do a dress rehearsal of all the procedures required for launch, and check how well simulation data matches real-world scenarios. Blue Origin confirmed in a press release that “all seven engines performed nominally, firing for 24 seconds, including at 100% thrust for 13 seconds.” The pressurization systems for the first and second stages also performed nominally. Although New Glenn has yet to fly, its BE-4 methane engines have already reached orbit. Twice in 2024 ULA’s Vulcan rocket – the successor to the Atlas V, which had been ULA’s heavy-lift workhorse for two decades – reached orbit using BE-4 engines provided by Blue Origin. In both instances the engines performed nominally, even demonstrating that they could compensate for eventualities: When one of Vulcan’s solid rocket boosters had an anomaly on the second flight, the main engines extended their burn by 20 seconds to keep the rocket on a nominal trajectory. New Glenn, which has been in development since 2013, uses BE-4 engines on its first stage as well. The rocket is expected to have its maiden flight imminently, with liftoff tentatively set for late evening on January 5 (EST). The first BE-4 engine to be tested, photographed in 2018. Credit: N2e (Wikimedia Commons) The first stage of the rocket is intended to be reuseable, and Blue Origin has playfully nicknamed the first booster So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance. It will attempt to land aboard a vessel in the Atlantic following launch. According to Reuters, Blue Origin has received FAA approval for the first flight, and the payload will include equipment related to Blue Ring, a Blue Origin program that will provide maneuverable spacecraft to the US Department of Defence. Upcoming New Glenn launches are expected to carry payloads for NASA, various telecommunications providers, and will also launch Amazon’s planned Project Kuiper, a mega-constellation competitor to SpaceX’s Starlink. NASA’s Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE), a two-pronged Mars mission that was expected to launch in Fall 2024, was postponed to Spring 2025, and will now be carried on New Glenn’s third flight. The 98-meter tall rocket has a 7-meter diameter and can carry 45,000km to Low Earth Orbit. With the full stack hotfire test complete, the path to New Glenn’s maiden flight is wide open. “This is a monumental milestone and a glimpse of what’s just around the corner for New Glenn’s first launch,” said Jarrett Jones, Senior Vice President, New Glenn, after the hotfire test. “Today’s success proves that our rigorous approach to testing–combined with our incredible tooling and design engineering–is working as intended.” The post New Glenn Completes a Hotfire Test. Next… Flight? appeared first on Universe Today.

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These schools combine an atypical education with a New Age spirituality called anthroposophy.

A timeless spin on an old classic. Kacey Musgraves released her A Very Kacey Christmas album in 2016, which is one of my personal favorite Christmas albums and the perfect thing to spin before we turn the page to a new year. The original Christmas songs are great, but one song in particular, her rendition of Ella Fitzgerald's "What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?" is the perfect tune to include on your New Year's Eve playlist, whether you're hosting a party, getting ready to go out, or just hanging out at home with a couple friends. Written in 1947 by Frank Loesser, Ella Fitzgerald included her famous version on her 1960 Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas album. Kacey noted that, while she had never heard the song before, when her producer suggested it for the aforementioned album, she fell in love with it and knew she wanted it to be part of the tracklist: “We chose this song that, honestly, I had never heard before, but Kyle, one of the producers was like, ‘You gotta hear this song. I think it should be a good candidate for the record.’ It was written in 1947, and it’s called What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?’ It was a hit for Ella Fitzgerald, among other people.” Kacey also says she wanted to take the record through Christmas and have it end at a New Year’s Eve party, and this song was the perfect fit: “But I think it’s really fun that the record, you go through Christmas the whole time, and then the record ends on New Years, and then it has a little moment at the end that kind of lets you feel like you’re maybe at a New Year’s Eve party. That one kind of gets me because I don’t know why this s a fun fact about me, but I always cry on New Year’s eve and I don’t know why. It’s not something I can really pin point.” She’s even had to leave the room during the countdown to midnight because it made her so emotional… “And last year, the countdown was going on, you know maybe champagne has something to do with it, but they were totally laughing at me, cuz I had to go out of the room during the countdown. It just made me really emotional. And I think it’s just the passage of time, the aspect of nostalgia and going into something new that is overwhelming. So I’m glad that we included a moment like that on the record.” I think a lot of people feel the same way about New Year's and starting a new chapter, and there's something so forlorn, melancholy and almost nostalgic, about her delivery that I can't get enough of. In a way, she kind of made it into a sad country song, and her cover is very simple and classic from a production standpoint, and of course her voice is pure and stunning, per the usual. It's all around perfection, in my very humble opinion... And with us being just hours away from a brand new year, turn it up and enjoy. Here's to a great 2025, y'all: "What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvXpkH-gl3Q Here’s a little bit more from Kacey on the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzyI3QwKjHY  

Growing up, kids often don't appreciate the music their parents listen to. Personally, I grew up listening to U2, The Beatles, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, Outkast, and Prince with my parents, except for Outkast's "Hey Ya!" that was not my favorite taste in music back then. But as you age, you often begin to appreciate the music they raised you on. On the other hand, growing up, I know it felt like my parents were also not fans of the music I liked. However, as I've grown up and refined my taste, they want to hear what I'm listening to now. It's an actual full circle moment. Over the holidays, I often fire up my favorite playlists while we cook or sit around and talk as a family, which usually includes many fresh faces in country music. Because of this, I am frequently asked, 'Who is this? What's the name of this song? He's only 20 years old?' and a multitude of other questions. I know I am not in solidarity with this kind of "home for the holidays' experience, but I have never seen my grandma get down to any songs that I've played. One family is going viral for showing their grandmother, the wild child of country music, and capturing her golden reaction. During a game of Rummikub, one family fired up Gavin Adcock's "Deep End," and she could not get enough. During the video shared on social media, she shimmies her shoulders as Adcock sings the chorus. Then, she really feels the music and begins to rock out to Adcock's lyrics fully. "I'm off the Deep End Ain't no sense sleeping with these girls And I've been keeping Up with the demons of this world Yeah I'm off the deep end..." This grandmother has taste. I know my grandmother would have had a heart attack after hearing the line, "And I ain't got a rubber, so I probably shouldn't f*ck her, But I do it anyway," so I respect that this grandmother sees through some of the word choices and gets the music for what it is. The man who uploaded the video shared a quote from her in the caption, noting how much she likes Gavin Adcock in general. "That's a great f***ing song. Why isn't he more famous than Beyoncé?" Amen to that one. This grandmother wins the award for Coolest Grandma of the Year. Gavin Adcock later saw the video and replied: "All Nanas love this song." Gavin Adcock, get this woman to one of your shows. But make sure she's out of the line of fire for beer cans... we need to protect this woman at all costs. @la_ferg_ “thats a great f-ing song, why isnt he more famous than beyonce” @GavinAdcockMusic #gavinadcock #n #viralvideo #relatable ♬ original sound - LA_FERG_ Check out some of the comments left on the post: "You know what? Hell yeah, Nana." "Me in 40 years." "Is your grandma looking for more grandchildren to adopt!? Because SAME, Nana!" "Me in like 50 years, showing my grandkids what I listened to growing up."  "Might have to take Nana to the Gavin show with me." "Me too, Nana." While you're here, get down like Nana and fire up "Deep End." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL4iNn2XGqs

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Stone cold classic. The post Joe Walsh’s anthem about how fame ruined rock music: “I wanted to make a statement” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.