China’s tragic airplane crash was likely intentional

Plus: How launching a Falcon 9 changes the atmosphere May 18, 2022 [View in browser]( China's deadliest aviation disaster in 28 years may have been an intentional act. Black box data recovered from the wreckage of the China Eastern Boeing 737-800, which killed all 132 onboard, suggests that someone in the cockpit intentionally turned the plane into its deadly dive. It’s heartbreaking — and undoubtedly a tremendous relief for Boeing, which has faced intense scrutiny after software flaws that caused the crashes of two 737 MAX jets came to light. Good morning. I’m Derya, an editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let’s pick up the pace. TRANSPORTATION [China airplane crash that killed 132 likely intentional, say US officials]( [China airplane crash.]( On March 21 this year, a Boeing 737-800 flying from Kunming in China to Guangzhou [crashed under mysterious circumstances]( roughly one hour into the flight, killing 132 people on board. Video footage purportedly showing an aircraft nosediving emerged following the mishap and the plane reportedly slammed into the ground with such force that it created a 66-foot-deep hole in the ground. - Now people familiar with investigations conducted by U.S. officials in this matter [told the Wall Street Journal]( that the airplane crash may have been an intentional act. Black box. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) released a summary of its findings from its preliminary investigation earlier this year and noted that communications between air-traffic controllers and the cockpit crew prior to the crash were normal. However, a preliminary U.S. assessment of the flight data [suggests that someone in the cockpit]( pushed the Boeing 737-800 into the near-vertical descent. Under these circumstances, we might never know what happened on that fateful day. [Read More]( SCIENCE [Physicists figured out how launching a Falcon 9 changes the atmosphere]( [The temperature of a rocket's exhaust plume at an altitude of 18.6 miles.]( Last year, the world successfully launched 133 rockets into orbit, breaking a record that stood for 45 years. The catch. Breaking free from Earth's gravity requires a rocket to release a tremendous amount of energy. As it leaves Earth, it produces hot exhaust that changes the physics and chemistry of the atmosphere. In a new paper, [physicists simulated the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket]( blasting into space, and they found several reasons to be concerned. - By the time a Falcon 9 reaches 43.5 miles, it releases more than 25 times the amount of CO2 found in a cubic kilometer of air at that altitude. And it's more than CO2, as water vapor from it immediately freezes at that altitude, and researchers have no idea where those ice crystals end up. Then, carbon monoxide reacts with hydroxide (OH) to form even more CO2. The researchers believe the issue of atmospheric pollution caused by rocket launches [is vital and needs to be addressed]( since the frequency of commercial space flights is expected to increase in the future. [Read More]( CULTURE [Are aliens here? A US House panel holds the first public hearing on UFOs]( [UFO.]( On Tuesday, the U.S. House panel [held a public hearing]( on "unidentified aerial phenomena," known as UFOs, that will hopefully help bring legitimacy to a subject that has long been too stigmatized for many alleged accounts to come forward and for many discoveries to be made. The hearing was convened by the House Intelligence Committee's Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation subcommittee. It comes on the heels of a report released in June 2021 that Congress requested to investigate UAPs. - The report contained a "Preliminary Assessment" provided by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which outlined 144 mysterious UFO-related incidents that began in 2004, [of which only one was explained](. “UAPs are unexplained, it's true. But they are real. They need to be investigated. And any threats they pose need to be mitigated," Indiana Congressman André Carson said. It looks like the age of “excessive secrecy” on UFOs might be coming to a close. [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS Public interest in UFOs and alien abduction peaked in the 1990s. Nowadays, interest in UFOs is on the rise again. Do you believe UFOs are real? Be sure you check back tomorrow for the results! [Yes! Bring in the cornfields.]( [It’s just military aircraft we don’t know about.]( [I want to believe…]( [Little green men — they are already among us.]( Yesterday’s Results We asked your opinion on humanity’s obsession with building bigger and bigger structures. According to nearly half of you, it comes from overcompensation. It’s overcompensation. Think about it. 44% It’s a testament to our brilliance and commitment. 23% Gotta do what you gotta do! 21% I don’t think we have an obsession (denial). 12% QUOTE OF THE DAY “ Perfect is the enemy of good. ” An aphorism in the English-speaking world which is commonly attributed to Voltaire. [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [Here’s how many nuclear weapons there are around the world]( Russia and the U.S. hold 90 percent of the world’s total nuclear weapons inventory. [Here’s how many nuclear weapons there are around the world]( AND ANOTHER THING... - NASA's Bill Nelson declared that China [has become “good at stealing”]( and that they've done an “impressive” job of it with rocket technology. - [A U.S. fracking boom could bring the world]( to the threshold of disaster by unleashing 140 billion metric tons of planet-heating gases. (The Guardian) - A SpaceX Falcon Heavy [will launch the heaviest satellite in history]( early next year, and at 9.2 tons, it may be the largest spacecraft to ever reach geostationary orbit - Computing scientist Leslie Lamport revolutionized how computers talk to each other. Now he’s working on [how engineers talk to their machines](. (Quanta Magazine) - The world's first — and only — underwater greenhouse, which grows more than 100 different fruits and vegetables, [could reveal the future of agriculture](. - It’s the midst of the active severe weather season in the U.S., and the Atlantic hurricane season is around the corner. Meanwhile, [the Spanish translation problem looms](. (Forbes) - A new generation of nanobots [can kill bacteria in your teeth]( with heat by penetrating 2,000 micrometers inside dentinal tubules. 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. 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