SpaceX Could Be in Trouble...

Image: SpaceX/Elon Musk

“We face a genuine risk of bankruptcy if we can’t achieve a Starship flight rate of at least once every two weeks next year… We need all hands on deck to recover from what is, quite frankly, a disaster,” Musk wrote.

🤔 What’s going on?… It turns out, making humans an interplanetary species is pretty difficult (and expensive) work. SpaceX is currently developing the Raptor, a rocket engine intended to power the Starship, and production issues surrounding the engine is where the current trouble lies.

First, some context:

• The current engines SpaceX uses are only partially reusable. The Raptor is supposed to be fully reusable and more powerful, and SpaceX considers its success essential to the company’s future.
• The move to a fully reusable rocket would allow it to launch even more payloads at a lower cost, and maybe one day turn a profit.

🏗 Plagued by production… Now that y’all have the context, let’s get to the meat – the Raptor engine production issues. VP of Propulsion, Will Heltsley, had been leading Raptor development before being taken off the project and departing the company earlier this month.

• “As we have dug into the issues following the exiting of prior senior management, they have unfortunately turned out to be far more severe than was reported. There is no way to sugarcoat this,” per Musk’s email.

📸 Big picture: SpaceX recently passed a $100 billion valuation, took its Starlink program out of beta, and is back to working with NASA on the Starship lunar lander following the conclusion of the Blue Origin lawsuit, so saying the company is facing bankruptcy is probably a stretch. (Elon Musk not able to raise more money or scale back operations? C’mon…)

But it does indicate the level of focus and importance the company places on Starship, and this upcoming year could be a pivotal one for SpaceX’s next-gen rocket and the company as a whole.

🎁 The largest virtual real-estate deal in history took place yesterday when Republic Realm paid $4.3 million for land in a virtual world called Sandbox.

🎁 Barbados officially became a republic yesterday, ending almost four centuries of ties to the British monarchy. It’s the first nation in nearly 30 years to do so.

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The Jackson Women’s Health Organization (above) is Mississippi’s only abortion clinic; Image: Rory Doyle/Reuters

Today’s case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, centers around a Mississippi law banning women more than 15 weeks pregnant from obtaining abortions. The measure was blocked by a federal judge immediately after being enacted in 2018, prompting an appeal that ended up before the Supreme Court.

⚖️ Background: In the 1973 case Roe v. Wade, SCOTUS forbade states from banning abortions before the fetus is viable, which the Court defined as the start of the third trimester (between 24 and 28 weeks into pregnancy).

🗣️ The arguments: The state of Mississippi is saying the Court made a mistake when it recognized abortion rights in 1973. They also claim the Court’s reasons for doing so, including greater autonomy for women, have since lost urgency.

• Lawyers for Jackson Women’s Health Organization contend that Mississippi is recycling arguments that courts have already rejected, citing several previous cases, including Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 1992.

👁️ Looking ahead… It’s unclear when to expect a final ruling in today’s case. If the Court decides to overturn Roe v. Wade, the legality of abortion would be left up to the states.

• At least 37 states, plus the District of Columbia, have laws on the books that would come into effect should Roe v. Wade be overturned. Twenty-two states would ban the procedure, while 15 states plus D.C. would grant the legal right to an abortion.

Introducing: The Neuralyzer For Mice

🧠 How it works: Memories are consolidated and strengthened in the brain during sleep via a process called long-term potentiation (LTP).

• The Japanese researchers used light to illuminate specific neurons in the brains of mice to prevent them from creating a protein needed for LTP to occur, essentially erasing the animals’ short-term memory.

👁️ Looking ahead… "We expect our method will lead to a range of treatments for mental disorders,” said study co-author Yasunori Hayashi.

Image: CNN

Decorating for Christmas has always been a big event for Dale and Julie Marks.

• After covering the entire street in incredible light displays each year, the Marks and their neighbors use the opportunity to raise money for the Food Bank of Iowa, asking for donations from the hundreds of cars that drive through marveling at their homes.

❄️ ‘Tis the season… Unfortunately, Dale suffered from two strokes and a heart attack this year, leaving him in weak physical condition and unsure how he would hang their lights.

• Bob Coffey, a local contractor, and his team surprised the couple by showing up at their home to spend an entire day decorating, completely free of charge.

What's the largest public university in America by 2021-22 enrollment?

A) Ohio State University
B) University of Florida
C) Texas A&M University
D) University of Central Florida

(keep scrolling for the answer)

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C) Texas A&M University

A&M narrowly beat out UCF atop this year's rankings. (73,284 vs. 70,406)

• With private schools included, Liberty University has the largest enrollment of any college in America. (95,000+ in 2020)