Russian cosmonauts in colors of Ukraine flag

Plus: The UK and the US join forces to fly the first drone using only synthetic fuel, The surface of Mercury is covered in diamonds. Mar 19, 2022 [View in browser]( We all know not all Russians are supporting their government’s invasion of Ukraine. But some of them turned out to be really courageous. First, a woman interrupted a news broadcast on Russian TV to protest the ongoing invasion, and now, Roscosmos cosmonauts wore uniforms in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, yellow and blue. We’ll dive deep into this topic below. But did you know that the world is running out of sand? Well, this may be a bigger problem than you think. Good morning. I’m Mert, an editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Keep yourself up to date! [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [The world is actually running out of sand. Here's how.]( It is one of the greatest sustainability challenges of the 21st century. [The world is actually running out of sand. Here's how.]( SCIENCE [Russian cosmonauts board ISS wearing yellow and blue, the colors of the Ukrainian flag]( [Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov in yellow flight suits.]( Cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveyev, and Sergey Korsakov, of the Russian space corporation Roscosmos, took off from the Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan in their Soyuz MS-21 spacecraft on Friday at 8.55 pm local time. - Three hours later, they docked at the station [wearing yellow and blue](. As soon as the cosmonauts were able to communicate with their families back on Earth, Artemyev was asked about the suits. “It became our turn to pick a color. But, in fact, we had accumulated a lot of yellow material so we needed to use it,” he answered. “So that’s why we had to wear yellow,” said Artemyev. Symbolic support for Ukraine? However, many believed it was a show of support for Ukraine. "Three Russian cosmonauts who just docked with the ISS arrive in Ukrainian yellow!" former NASA astronaut [Scott Kelly tweeted]( in both Russian and English. It's not clear yet why the astronauts chose those colors but there is a fear that Russia may stop letting the U.S. use its spacecraft to get to the ISS. [Read More]( INNOVATION [The UK and the US join forces to fly the first drone using only synthetic fuel]( [The drone that flew only on synthetic fuel.]( As the world moves to greener options, militaries must also chip in to reduce their carbon footprints. - And now, Royal Air Force successfully [completed a drone flight]( using only synthetic kerosene, an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels, the [Ministry of Defence of the U.K. tweeted recently.]( Synthetic fuels hold great promise for the aviation sector that needs a dense source of energy for long-haul flights. The fuel was developed by C3 Biotechnologies, a Britain-based company, using a small-scale setup. Manufacturing of the fuel involves treating raw materials with high levels of sugar that can be obtained even from food waste. The resultant oil that is formed is heated and chemically treated to make fossil-free synthetic kerosene that can be used for flights. A collaborative effort. As the government of the U.K. [notes on its website]( the drone flight is part of Project Vermeer, a collaborative effort between the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the U.S. Naval Research Department that began in the summer of 2021. [Read More]( SCIENCE [The surface of Mercury is covered in diamonds]( [Mercury in true color.]( Compared to our comprehension of the Moon and Mars, not much is known about Mercury. But now, researchers seem to have more [facts about the planet](. - New research previewed this month at the [Lunar and Planetary Science Conference]( suggests that the crust of Mercury could contain 16 quadrillion tons of diamonds. Mercury's crust is mostly in the form of graphite, a pure form of carbon. “The pressure wave from asteroids or comets striking the surface at tens of kilometers per second could transform that graphite into diamonds,” says Kevin Cannon, who presented his latest findings at the conference. Can we get there? We, human beings, haven't landed on Mercury, yet. In addition to its extremely high gravity level, the obstacle to Mercury's human exploration is more about its distance from the Earth. There's no need to mention its extremely variable temperature that ranges between 801 °F and −279 °F. The conditions of Mercury are far too extreme for humans to explore it physically. But, who knows? Maybe these new discoveries can give scientists a new perspective on Mercury, which may have been overlooked so far. [Read More]( THINGS WE LOVE - Capture your best shots of all time with the utmost stability with the help of the [best camera monopods out there.]( - [Let the best GPS navigator systems help you]( go anywhere you want choosing the best and easiest route possible! MAIL & MUSINGS Compared to the Moon and Mars, not many missions have been conducted to Mercury. Do you think it’s possible for humankind to land on Mercury within our lifetime? Be sure you check back tomorrow for the results! [Yes, Mercury's turn for human exploration will surely come soon.]( [We need more data about it. So, it must be examined in detail by spacecraft first.]( [I do not think so. Mercury's conditions are far too extreme.]( [No, spaceflight companies are too busy with Mars and the Moon right now.]( Yesterday’s Results Following the news that a Tesla employee asserts he got fired for sharing videos showing a crash caused by the company’s autonomous car, we asked if you think Tesla did the right thing, and the results are surprisingly close. 33% of the participants think what the employee did was inappropriate while 27% say people deserve transparency. Yes. The employee’s behavior was inappropriate. 33% No. The people deserve transparency. 27% I’m not sure. The employee should have asked Tesla first. 21% No. Why would they want to hide it? 19% QUOTE OF THE DAY “ From space, I saw Earth - indescribably beautiful with the scars of national boundaries gone. ” Muhammed Faris in “Environmental Science on the Net: The Global Thinking Project” AND ANOTHER THING... - [Humans on the Polaris Dawn space mission]( will be like lab rats for radiation. - With [its latest raise in the prices]( of electric vehicles, the cheapest Tesla is now starting at $46,990. (The Verge) - A UK-based company [designs an invisibility shield]( that you can buy today. - Take a look at the [Suzuki SW1, a rare motorcycle]( with the benefits of a scooter. (Jalopnik) - A.I. could open new routes to psychiatric treatments by [mapping psychedelic trips in the brain.]( - This drone footage shows the [level of devastation in Ukraine’s Mariupol](. (BBC News) - [James Webb Telescope:]( How to keep a $10 billion instrument 100 percent clean. 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