What does entrepreneurial space travel have in common with its more nation-focused counterpart, and what are the contrasts? How are corporate space jaunts changing the face of the trip?
The coverage reflects on the story and her own experiences.
MARCIA DUNN, AP aerospace writer since 1990:
This year it was surreal to see ordinary people being escorted to the launch pad to blast into space. I mean, I’ve seen the astronauts, the professionals, the cosmonauts — I’ve been to Baikonur to see the Russians launch people — but seeing ordinary people just go out to the launch pad, climb into a rocket and blast into orbit, that’s what happened in the Kennedy Space Center here. First time in the U.S. where paying customers blasted into orbit. And I have to say, yes, the guy leading the charge is a rich guy who paid for the entire flight, but he took three ordinary people with him. And that was just really just — I was just standing here amazed, shaking my head seeing science fiction turn into science fact.
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
Argo Touts Driverless Operations in Miami and Austin, Texas
An autonomous vehicle technology company that partners with Ford and Volkswagen says it has started driverless operations in two of eight cities where it is developing its technology.
A Bear Market May Be on the Horizon. Here's What That Means
Investors on Wall Street need a place to hide.
PARK OUTDOORS: FORD RECALLS SUVS DUE TO ENGINE FIRE RISK
Ford is asking the owners of 350,000 vehicles in to take them to dealers for repairs in three recalls, including about 39,000 that should be parked outdoors because the engines can catch fire.
‘TWITTER PHILANTHROPY' REVEALS CHASMS IN SOCIAL SAFETY NET
Single father Billy Price was already struggling to make ends meet before someone broke into his Michigan storage unit, stole his identity and ruined his credit.
DUSTY DEMISE FOR NASA MARS LANDER IN JULY; POWER DWINDLING
A NASA spacecraft on Mars is headed for a dusty demise.
GOOGLE'S RUSSIAN BUSINESS PLANS TO FILE FOR BANKRUPTCY
Google says its Russian subsidiary is planning to file for bankruptcy because it can’t pay staff and suppliers.
NY AGENCY FILES DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT AGAINST AMAZON
A state agency in New York has filed an administrative complaint against Amazon, alleging the e-commerce giant discriminated against pregnant and disabled workers by denying them “reasonable accommodations” and forcing them to take unpaid leave, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced this week.
CONGRESS DIVES INTO UFOS, BUT NO SIGNS OF EXTRATERRESTRIALS
Congress held its first hearing in half a century on unidentified flying objects. And no, there is still no government confirmation of extraterrestrial life.
CONSUMERS SHIFT AGAIN, FLUMMOXING BIG RETAILERS LIKE TARGET
The pandemic vastly changed the way Americans spend money and now as they return to pre-pandemic behavior, they’re tripping up retailers again.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON SUSPENDS PRODUCTION FOR 2 WEEKS, SHARES FALL
Harley-Davidson announced a two-week suspension of vehicle assembly and most shipments, citing a regulatory compliance issue with one of its suppliers.
The Twitter Deal's Big Debt Bill
If the acquisition goes through, the company will face mounting interest expenses as it tries to grow
ELON MUSK'S BIG PLANS FOR TWITTER: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has laid out some bold, if still vague, plans for transforming Twitter into a place of “maximum fun” once he buys the social media platform for $44 billion and takes it private.
WHAT'S NEXT NOW THAT TWITTER AGREED TO MUSK BID?
Twitter’s acceptance of Elon Musk’s roughly $44 billion takeover bid brings the billionaire Tesla CEO one step closer to owning the social media platform.
SPACEX LAUNCHES 4 ASTRONAUTS FOR NASA AFTER PRIVATE FLIGHT
SpaceX launched four astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA on Wednesday, less than two days after completing a flight chartered by millionaires.
ELON MUSK BUYS TWITTER FOR $44B AND WILL TAKE IT PRIVATE
Elon Musk reached an agreement to buy Twitter for roughly $44 billion on Monday, promising a more lenient touch to policing content on the social media platform where he — the world’s richest person — promotes his interests, attacks critics and opines on a wide range of issues to more than 83 million followers.
MUSK LAWYER: GAG ORDER WOULD TRAMPLE ON FREE SPEECH RIGHTS
Elon Musk’s lawyer says a federal judge would trample on the Tesla CEO’s free speech rights if he ordered Musk to stop talking about 2018 tweets saying he had the funding to make Tesla a private company.
FUEL LEAK THWARTS NASA'S DRESS REHEARSAL FOR MOON ROCKET
NASA’s latest attempt to fuel its huge moon rocket for a countdown test was thwarted last week by a hazardous hydrogen leak, the latest in a series of vexing equipment trouble.
Can a Retired Rocket Engine Take Us to Mars?
The space shuttle's main engine was mothballed with the program in 2011. Now NASA believes it's the future of interplanetary travel.
Breaking Ground
The steps at the back of David Olson's house in Norton Shores, Michigan, were crumbling and had to go.
JAPAN'S NISSAN PLANS ‘GAME CHANGING' ELECTRIC CAR BATTERIES
Nissan is working with NASA on a new type of battery for electric vehicles that promises to charge quicker and be lighter yet safe, the Japanese automaker said.