Every rover on Mars is about to enter safe mode

A new 512-mile railway track in China unites two sides of a deadly desert, China's crypto ban frees up more energy than many countries use in a year Sep 30, 2021 # Good morning to everyone, except the Sun. We come bearing bad news for those who are overly attached to the Mars rovers: We won't hear from any of them for roughly two weeks, because the Sun is literally getting in the way. Also in today’s issue, a new 512-mile (825-km) railway track in China has finally united two sides of a deadly desert in a loop, and it’s a marvel of engineering that’ll lift your mood. On an ominous note, China has banned all crypto transactions in its borders, but there’s a silver lining: It could free up more energy than many countries use in a year. At least, for a while. This is The Blueprint. Keep reading. Help us make your reader experience better by [taking this survey](. It takes just 2 minutes. INNOVATION [A New 512-Mile Railway Track in China Unites Two Sides of a Deadly Desert]( [The Hotan-Ruoqiang line.]( [China has finished laying track]( on a key national railway project that extends 512 miles (825 km) from Hotan city in Hotan Prefecture to Ruoqiang county in Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture. - The Hotan-Ruoqiang Railway runs through the southern edge of China's largest desert, the Taklamakan, which makes it the world's first railway loop line to circle a desert. Building a railway around a desert is hard. Sandstorms pose a serious threat to railway construction and operation since they quickly bury your work. To overcome this obstacle, [anti-desertification programs]( were implemented while the line was still being laid. The construction project planted 13 million seedlings and installed grass grids alongside the tracks. Viaducts were also built to enable safe passage in places known for heavy sandstorms. The next steps. The new line will be fully operational by June 2022 and will cut travel time and speed up the economic development of the regions it connects. Now, China aims to invest roughly $154.88 billion to expand the railway network in the Yangtze River Delta between 2021 and 2025. The lines will eventually stretch 13,670 miles (22,000 km). That’s more than twice the distance from New York to Tokyo! A different angle. Back in 2014, China announced a massive 8,077-mile (13,000-km) U.S.-China high-speed bullet train line that would run partially underwater, and cost $200 billion to build. That project seems to have stalled, but it may still be on the backburner as China looks to vastly expand its rail network and supercharge its 21st-century economy. [Read More]( SCIENCE [Every Rover on Mars Is About to Enter Safe Mode]( [Mars (left), and the sun (right).]( NASA and the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the world's only space organizations to land and successfully deploy robotic rovers on Mars, [have no choice but to put]( their Red Planet vehicles in "safe mode" and halt the investigation. The reason is undeniable: The Sun is about to “pass” between the Earth and Mars in an event called a "Mars solar conjunction," which prevents all direct communications until the two planets regain line-of-sight positions. But NASA and CNSA being out of touch for a few weeks doesn't mean the probes won't have plenty of homework to carry out in the interim. Curiosity and Perseverance won't stop recording the Martian weather, but multiple onboard instruments will shut down, and the InSight lander will also keep listening for Marsquakes. While this will only last from October 2 to 16, it also raises concerns about crewed missions to the Red Planet, the outer planets, and beyond. So what if astronauts were there? Mars solar conjunctions happen every two years, which means any four-year mission ([the maximum time humans can remain exposed to radiation]( will have at least one two-week period of little-to-no contact with Earth, and need to be 100% self-sufficient. If astronauts were already on the surface of Mars during this period, they would frequently receive detailed instructions from NASA for highly delicate procedures, and mistaken or corrupted instructions could have deadly ramifications. While they could circumvent this issue with a relay satellite positioned between the Earth and Mars, it’s for sure that [sending signals in space may pose serious challenges]( to the future of space travel. [Read More]( CULTURE [China’s Crypto Ban Frees up More Energy Than Many Countries Use in a Year]( [China's crypto ban.]( Last week, China declared that any cryptocurrency transactions conducted within its borders are now illegal, further tightening the noose around crypto miners. While the country has labeled cryptocurrency as a threat to "social order," there are also surprising benefits, [like freeing up enough energy to power countries]( including Finland, Chile, Belgium, and the Philippines, for an entire year. The background. [While the U.K. is reeling from gas shortages]( China is facing a similar issue with coal. The country is heavily reliant on coal for its energy needs, and its stocks will barely last two weeks. As the pent-up demand for goods is unleashed ahead of the holiday season in the West, China's factories need more electrical power while its stocks refuse to rise. - Roughly 20 out of 23 provinces in China are facing a power shortage, prompting factories to reduce working hours as shops resort to candlelight, and mobile networks fail in some regions. A ban on cryptocurrency transactions might seem irrelevant, since they account for just 1.1% of China's power consumption. But this 1.1% actually translates to 86 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electrical power, which is roughly the amount of energy countries like Finland or Chile consume in a year. It could even power 84 of the world's lowest electricity-consuming countries combined, for a year. The situation. This means that 40% of all Bitcoin mining has been coal-powered, blasting nearly 63 tons of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. With China pledging to become carbon-neutral by 2060, it’s hard to argue against cutting crypto when emissions are reduced this much. Global electricity consumption halved to 60 TWh in June when China cracked down on operations. But for better or worse, miners have found 'safer havens' and resumed operations, spiking the consumption back to 98 TWh. Let’s hope they prioritize [eco-friendly alternatives]( to power their profit motive. [Read More]( QUOTE OF THE DAY “ Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it. ” Rolls-Royce Co-Founder Charles Rolls, on the Spectre itself. [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [What Is It Like to Eat and Drink in Space?]( [What Is It Like to Eat and Drink in Space?]( THINGS WE LOVE - [9 books to explore engineering]( in ancient times - Interesting items and art that's [made from old maps]( - [Multi-tools that make outdoor]( living easy - Old pallets transformed into [unique furniture items]( *We may collect revenue from items contained in these links. TODAY IN HISTORY In 1929, Fritz von Opel, a German automaker, made an early manned rocket-powered flight with his Sander RAK 1, which was powered by sixteen 50-lb (22.6-kg) thrust rockets. Opel flung himself roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) in just 75 seconds. Wear a helmet! AND ANOTHER THING... - Rolls-Royce just teased its first electric vehicle, [called Spectre](. It hits the road in 2023. - Experts are worried about AI systems becoming addicts. [Here's what that means](. (The Conversation) - An [11-foot 3D printer is helping to create a community]( in Nacajuca, Mexico, for residents living in poverty. (The New York Times $) - From [souped-up Mars helicopters to inexpensive orbiters]( scientists are working to revolutionize access to the Red Planet. (Live Science) - Google is going to improve Google Search by [injecting AI directly into the system](. (TechCrunch) - What can sonic black holes tell us about the Information Paradox? A recent study attempted to find out, and its results [seem to provide more questions than answers](. - Berlin’s referendum encouraging the government to seize apartments from large landlords is the most visible effort to create more housing outside of traditional real estate markets. [Here's what this radical vote says about]( the global battle for affordable cities. (Fast Company) Prepared by Derya Ozdemir and Brad Bergan Enjoy reading? Don't forget to forward to a friend! Was this email forwarded to you? 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