SpaceX heading to Uranus?

Plus: The biggest earthquake in human history Apr 25, 2022 [View in browser]( SpaceX's Falcon Heavy could be the perfect spacecraft for NASA's flagship mission to Uranus. At least, that’s the implication of the decadal survey recently released by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The survey is an unofficial but significant review of NAS members’ priorities for NASA, and a new tweet from Elon Musk seems to tease at SpaceX's impending involvement in the project. But, before we get into the cosmic love triangle, today’s video will let you in on the engineering secrets of escalators. They admittedly won’t get you high like the iconic Falcon Heavy can, but they're also much closer to home. Good morning. I’m Derya, an editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let’s kick off the week. [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [YouTuber explains the engineering secrets of escalators in great detail]( The video provides a brief history of the invention as well. [YouTuber explains the engineering secrets of escalators in great detail]( SCIENCE [Elon Musk's SpaceX could probe Uranus on NASA's flagship mission]( [View of planet Uranus from space.]( Could SpaceX be heading to Uranus? The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine thinks it should. - The organization [released its latest decadal survey]( of planetary science and astrobiology, and it hints that NASA should undertake a flagship mission to Uranus on SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket. The mission is not entirely new. Called the Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP), the proposal has been under development for several years thanks to a team with scientists from NASA, the University of California, and Johns Hopkins University. Now, with SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, the researchers feel they have the technology to make their long-held dream a reality. - If all goes well with Falcon Heavy and the mission goes forward, the UOP mission to Uranus could offer the most in-depth information ever gathered on what is basically an unexplored planet. Icy secrets. The only spacecraft to have visited Uranus, NASA's Voyager 2, only made a flyby in 1986, gathering very little viable information. [What secrets could this ice giant hold]( Only UOP could tell us. [Read More]( TRANSPORTATION [These highway safety signs cause more crashes than they prevent]( [A traffic fatality sign in Hawaii.]( Every year, more than 1.35 million people are killed in car wrecks. In an effort to bring those numbers down, some highway authorities are reminding drivers of the stakes. - For a decade, nearly 900 digital signs on Texas highways have sent safety messages like “DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE" to drivers. Most U.S. states have similar signs. But a new analysis finds they [may not have the intended effect](. Better them than you. The researchers found that signs communicating the number of on-the-road fatalities are associated with a slight increase in accidents — 1.35 percent — on stretches of highway downstream of the sign. The researchers say the small percentage increase could have a big effect statewide, as this campaign “causes an additional 2,600 crashes and 16 fatalities per year in Texas alone, with a social cost of $377 million per year.” ​​Whatever psychology underpins these patterns, the data shows that this standard safety measure [may be causing more deaths]( not fewer. [Read More]( SCIENCE [The biggest earthquake in human history caused a 5,000-mile tsunami]( [Tsunami.]( A team of archaeologists from the University of Southampton has discovered [evidence of the largest megaquake]( in human history. - The earthquake struck roughly 3,800 years ago in what is now northern Chile, when a tectonic plate rupture raised the region's coastline. Its devastating repercussions drove human populations away from neighboring coastlines for 1,000 years. The 9.5-magnitude megaquake unleashed a tsunami with waves up to 66 feet (20 meters) that traveled more than 5,000 miles (8,000 km) to New Zealand. Just imagine the carnage. Shaking records to the ground. Scientists previously believed that the largest earthquake ever recorded was the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, which hit southern Chile with a magnitude of 9.4 to 9.6. The rupture that triggered it was massive, extending up to 500 miles (800 km), killing up to 6,000 people. The newly discovered megaquake was even larger, originating from a roughly 620-mile (1,000-km) rupture. The researchers now want to further investigate the region with hopes to explore the [potential dangers of such massive earthquakes](. [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, earthquakes can be quite dangerous. How worried are you about earthquakes? Be sure you check back tomorrow for the results! [Super worried. We don’t do enough to prepare.]( [Not much. My house is my armor.]( [It’s always in the back of my mind.]( [Not really a concern where I live.]( Yesterday’s Results Elon Musk mocked Bill Gates using the pregnant man emoji with the caption "in case [u] need to lose a boner fast". We asked how you'd react to such a thing, and the majority said you wouldn't mind, since he’s just a troll. I wouldn’t mind such a troll. 40% I would mock him too. 25% I would mock him but in an indifferent way. 21% I would sue him and not let him get away with it easily. 14% QUOTE OF THE DAY “ I touch the future. I teach. ” Teacher Christa McAuliffe, who died in the Challenger disaster, in a speech to teachers, in the Washington Post on January 29, 1986 AND ANOTHER THING... - Scientists have demonstrated the use of a [hydrogen molecule as a quantum sensor](. - [The AI industry profits from catastrophe]( As the demand for data labeling exploded, an economic catastrophe turned Venezuela into ground zero for a new model of labor exploitation. (MIT Technology Review $) - An ultrarunner challenged a fully charged Tesla Model 3. [Did he outlast the EV]( - A physicist [investigates whether the fabric of the universe]( might be built from information, and what it means that physicists can even ask such a question. (Quanta Magazine) - What is a hypersonic missile and how does it work? [Hear it from an aerospace engineer](. - [Here’s how to resurrect a coral reef]( Step one, break coral. Step two, hack coral sex. (Vox) - How many [types of galaxies are there]( in the universe? Prepared by Derya Ozdemir and Brad Bergan Enjoy reading? Don't forget to forward to a friend! Was this email forwarded to you? [Subscribe]( [About Us]( | [Advertise]( | [Contact Us]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe [here.]( © Copyright 2022 | The Blueprint is by Interesting Engineering, Inc. 201 Spear Street, Suite 1100 San Francisco, CA 94105 | All Rights Reserved [Interesting Engineering]