Blue Origin bags $3.4 billion NASA contract to land humans on the moon

Plus: Formula One drivers blink at the same ‘safe’ places during a race Sponsored by NASA now has two landing systems for its upcoming Artermis lunar missions. Following an earlier decision to give Elon Musk’s SpaceX the first shot at landing humans on the moon since 1972, NASA just awarded a $3.4 billion contract to Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. This prepares the way for NASA's Artemis V mission, which will climax when two astronauts transfer to Blue Origin’s human landing system for a weeklong trip to the Moon’s South Pole region. More on that in today’s Must Read story, below. But first, here’s [your video of the day](. Good morning. I’m Tim, an Editor at IE. Don’t miss this week's free Engineering Careers Webinar, it only takes a moment [to register](. Yesterday, Blueprint subscribers learned how new laser imaging techniques are revealing the secrets of early life. Don't miss out — [subscribe to IE+]( today to receive exclusive interviews, features, and much more. VIDEO OF THE DAY [How does GPS work?]( [How does GPS work?]( Discover how GPS works and how it revolutionized navigation. From Sputnik’s signals to the birth of GPS, here is the science behind global positioning. MUST READ [Blue Origin moon lander]( [Blue Origin bags $3.4 billion NASA contract to land humans on the moon]( Blue Origin, the space exploration company founded by Jeff Bezos, has secured a $3.4 billion contract from NASA to develop a human landing system for the Artemis project. This comes two years after SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, won a similar contract. Blue Origin will develop a lander that meets similar requirements and supports an increased crew size, longer mission duration, and delivery of more mass to the Moon. The Artemis project, named after the Greek goddess and twin sister of Apollo, aims to return humans to the moon for the first time since 1972. Bezos, who has called Blue Origin "the most important work" he's doing, has focused his attention on the company since stepping down as Amazon CEO. [Read More]( TRANSPORTATION Formula One drivers blink at the same ‘safe’ places during their races For a Formula One driver, each blink during a race translates to almost 20 meters of lost vision. Perhaps that’s why, according to a new study, drivers seem to limit their blinking to the less dangerous parts of the course. [Read More]( THE SPONSOR OF THE DAY [Thermonecks]( [Summer heat can make you less productive. Yeah, that's actually a thing!]( The sweltering summer heat can adversely affect your performance levels. According to [career expert Wendi Weiner]( It can decrease your analytical capabilities and reduce your desire to work. As good as saying when the sun’s out, your brains go out-of-office! The question is, how do you combat that lethargy and stay focussed, because let’s face it, you can’t go picnicking around in the entire summer, right? Thermonecks is an innovative temperature control band that can provide 8-hour cooling and reduce neck pain that may eventually cause you to lack focus in work and decrease productivity. It uses an innovative cooling technology verified by five independent studies and ensures you can stay in your ideal condition regardless of how the temperature rises outside. [Get the Thermonecks band]( if you wish to remain a t your peak condition in hot weeks of summer. [LEARN MORE]( HEALTH Researchers unlock the fountain of youth in mice through genetically modified stem cells Through genetic modification, a team of researchers at Taipei Medical University in Taiwan rejuvenated the cells of mice, effectively delaying the age-dependent deterioration of their memory and heart. Not only did these mice live longer, but they also enjoyed better overall health. [Read More]( CULTURE Are orcas training younglings to attack? Latest attack on yacht raises questions Orca attacks on ships have been reported since 2020. A recent attack on May 4 involving three orcas resulted in the sinking of a yacht. The attacks on boats seem aimed at sailing boats and follow a trend, with the orcas striking the rudder approaching from the stern until the boat stops moving. [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS Given the choice, I would rather visit the moon in a lunar lander built by: [Blue Origin]( [SpaceX]( [NASA]( [China National Space Administration]( YESTERDAY'S RESULTS Giving artificial intelligence access to the Dark Web is justifiable, according to 42 percent of you, but one in five believe it is a bad idea. 42% If it helps fight crime, yes 36% I hope they know what they're doing 20% Bad idea 2% Isn't it a crime to do this? QUOTE OF THE DAY Having two distinct lunar lander designs, with different approaches to how they meet NASA's mission needs, provides more robustness and ensures a regular cadence of Moon landings Lisa Watson-Morgan, manager at NASA’s Human Landing System Program THINGS WE LOVE [Vanguard Alta Sky 45D Backpack]( [ORTUR Laser Master 2]( [Intex Challenger Kayak]( [SHINCO Portable Air Conditioner]( [Interesting Engineering]( JOB BOARD [Cloud Infrastructure Engineer]( Arcadis [Senior Identity Software Solutions Engineer]( Autodesk [Sr Principal Chief Engineer]( Northrop Grumman [Director of Software Engineering]( JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. [Sr. Software Engineer SME Security Clearance Required]( Leidos [Security Engineer, Security Incident Response Team (SIRT)]( Amazon Web Services, Inc. AND ANOTHER THING - Turning enemies into allies: [using viruses to fight cancer]( - [AI technology may help to immortalize his performances]( says Tom Hanks - Power of empathy: [How to recognize, understand and treat bipolar disorder]( [premium] - [Draper tested its Moon navigation system aboard a suborbital Blue Origin rocket]( [premium] - Rice on Red Planet? [Gene-edited variety could be grown on barren Mars]( [premium] - Researchers build [world’s first house made with nappy-blended concrete]( (Nature) [Subscribe to IE+]( [About Us]( [Advertise]( [Contact Us]( © Copyright 2023 | The Blueprint is by Interesting Engineering, Inc. 205 Hudson St New York, NY, 10013, USA | All Rights Reserved You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter. Manage you e-mail preferences or unsubscribe [here.](