Tell NASA if you’ve seen this in the sky

Plus: Halloween warning: You may get a candy bar that plays Doom. Oct 28, 2022 [Blueprint]( If this goes well you could wind up having a movie made of your life story, probably starring Tom Hanks. Am I getting carried away? Possibly. The reason for my excitement is that [NASA is calling on citizen scientists]( (that’s you) to help it collect data on the elusive, mysterious phenomena known as red sprites. Red sprites are massive red streaks of light that happen above storms and reach as high as 55 miles (90 km) into the atmosphere. NASA thinks people may have unwittingly captured them, and that their images could contribute to ground-breaking science. Cool, eh? But before you start writing your own film script, I’ll give you something else to write home about. Namely [this video]( which tells you about selected Halloween candy bars that come with a video game inside. (Look before you bite, or this might not turn out so well for you.) Good morning. I’m Alice, an Editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let’s dive in. Dark futures: Could World War III still happen? Several cases show that the [prospect of nuclear war is still an ongoing concern](. There are still many opportunities for catastrophic mistakes that could lead to the destruction of our civilization. [premium] [Play]VIDEO OF THE DAY [Halloween warning: You may get a candy bar that plays Doom.]( [You may get a candy bar that plays Doom.]( The only time it’s legitimately ok to play with your food. [Must Read]MUST READ [NASA calls on the global public to help it document weird phenomena in the sky.]( [NASA calls on the global public.]( [NASA wants you to help it collect data on red sprites.]( No, not a new Harry Potter spin-off series (although that would be magical), but elusive, mysterious phenomenon found in the night sky. They’re red streaks of light that are usually seen above storms, and they reach as high as 55 miles (90 km) into the atmosphere. They're essentially a form of inverse lightning, and they form part of a group of lightning-like phenomena given names derived from fantasy (other examples include elves and giant jets, in case you’re wondering.) The U.S. space agency believes many people may have unwittingly captured the phenomenon on camera and that their images could contribute to ground-breaking science. → But wait for the best bit… In a bid to collect this data, NASA has announced it is forming a new citizen science project called… Spritacular (pronounced sprite-tacular). Am I the only one that thinks that’s pretty great?! Surely not. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [INNOVATION]INNOVATION [China to break its own record: World’s new largest wind farm could power 13 million homes.]( China plans to [break its own record for the world's largest wind farm]( by constructing a new one before 2025 that could power more than 13 million homes. The city of Chaozhou has ambitious plans for a 43.3 GW project. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( And Other Stories in Innovation - US military successfully tests components for [hypersonic weapons development](. - A 'to-go' lid from a cup holds the [secret to creating a safer drone wing](. - [Up, close and personal with Mars]( ReachBot and the future of space missions. [premium] [SCIENCE]SCIENCE [The ISS had to fire its thrusters to avoid Russian space junk — again.]( The orbital station fired its thrusters for a total of five minutes and five seconds in a “[Pre-Determined Debris Avoidance Maneuver]( The space junk issue was recently exacerbated when Russia blew up one of its own satellites. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( And Other Stories in Science - Antarctic: Scientists unexpectedly [discover concealed river system]( the size of Germany and France combined. - Amateur scientists [uncover origin story of meteorite]( that makes pigs vomit. - Eyes on the skies! Astrogeologist explains [why space rocks are so important](. [premium] [MAIL & MUSINGS]MAIL & MUSINGS NASA calls on the global public to help it document weird phenomena in the sky. Why do you think NASA wants to track these red sprites? [They might be useful]( [It wants to know more about them]( [It's concerned about them]( [Another reason entirely]( YESTERDAY'S RESULTS Yesterday, we asked you if you favor Google Sheets over Excel, and 41 percent of you said it's Excel all the way for you. 41% No, I’m an Excel fan 30% I don’t use either of them 18% I actually use both 11% Yes, all day long [QUOTE OF THE DAY]QUOTE OF THE DAY “By space the universe encompasses me and swallows me up like an atom; by thought I comprehend the world.” Blaise Pascal, French mathematician. 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