🚀 US B-52 bomber fleet to get powerful hypersonic missile upgrade, China’s first-ever reusable kerosene rocket crashes, Elon Musk plans 5 uncrewed Starship missions to Mars

Plus: 32,400-year-old woolly rhino mummy unearthed in Russia with skin, fur intact                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 September 24, 2024 | [Read Online](  🚨[10 days to Engineering Talks' automotive webinar]( There are only 10 days left before the "[The Future of Automated Automotive Quality Inspection](," webinar. Attend live Q&A sessions and conversations with experts to discover integrated solutions for automotive metrology. [Join our webinar now!]( The United States Air Force’s (USAF) venerable B-52 “Stratofortress” fleet is to get another round of upgrades to extend its life and enable it to carry hypersonic missiles. The new parts will include brand-new engines, avionics, and other gear that could well mean the aircraft hits a century in service. The B-52, also known as “big ugly fat fellow” or Buff, is the USAF’s primary long-range, large-payload multirole bomber. It serves as the nation’s principal strategic nuclear and conventional weapons platform. Dive deeper into this [Must-Read](. 🔥Today’s job of the day as featured on [jobs.interestingengineering.com](: > [Associate Principal, Software Engineering: Java]( > [VP IT Cloud Platform Engineering]( Reading Time: 4 mins Did a friend forward this e-mail to you? [Subscribe here.]( MUST-READ ✈️ [US B-52 bomber fleet to get powerful hypersonic missile upgrade, new engines]( First entering service in 1961, the B-52 celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2002 and is now officially the [longest-serving combat aircraft in the world](. The new upgrades will further extend its illustrious service well into the 1940s. The upgrades are necessary for the newly proposed B-52 variant, the B-52J. One of the most significant changes from the existing B-52H variant will be replacing its Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines with new [Rolls Royce F130 engines](. This upgrade will boost fuel efficiency by as much as [30%]( and is to be fitted under the USAF’s Commercial Engine Replacement Program. After completing the works, the new B-52J should also be able to field the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM). 🚀 [China’s first-ever reusable kerosene rocket crashes during vertical landing]( Deep Blue Aerospace, a Chinese private rocket company, announced on Sunday that its Nebula-1, a pioneering reusable rocket powered by kerosene, was unable to successfully complete a [high-altitude recovery test](. Despite meeting 10 out of 11 objectives during the [vertical takeoff and vertical landing]( (VTVL) trial, the rocket encountered issues in its final phase, leading to a crash. According to the company, Nebula-1’s three engines initially fired as expected, propelling the rocket to a high altitude. The descent process began smoothly, with two engines shutting down as planned. However, complications arose when the rocket attempted to land back at the designated pad. The landing mechanism malfunctioned, causing Nebula-1 to make a [hard landing](. 🛰️ [‘Great adventure’: Elon Musk plans 5 uncrewed Starship missions to Mars in 2 yrs]( Elon Musk has announced that SpaceX plans to launch five uncrewed Starship missions to Mars within the next two years, aligning with the [upcoming Earth-Mars transfer window](. The success of these missions will greatly determine the timeline for [future crewed flights]( to the Red Planet, according to the tech billionaire. “No matter what happens with landing success, SpaceX will increase the number of spaceships traveling to Mars exponentially with every transit opportunity,” the space company chief declared on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter. Love what you're reading, but too many emails? Sign up to IE+ to get Blueprint Weekly, our exclusive weekly premium newsletter that gives all the insights you love in a more digestible weekly format– plus, enjoy an Ad-Free experience on our website. Try IE+ today for just $1 in the first month. [Subscribe here]( HOT TOPICS OF THE DAY SCIENCE > A remarkably well-preserved woolly rhinoceros was discovered near the Tirekhtyakh River in Russia’s Sakha Republic. The frozen carcass dates back to 32,400 years. ([More]() > In a significant new study, researchers have decoded the genomes of 13 individuals that lived 1,300 and 10,000 years ago, “including the oldest human genome from South Africa,” according to an official press release. ([More]() > Using protein engineering and AI algorithms, researchers have now enhanced TnpB (the ancestor of CRISPR-Cas9) capabilities to make DNA editing more efficient and versatile, paving the way for treating a genetic defect for high cholesterol in the future. ([More]() ENERGY > Swiss energy storage pioneer Leclanché SA has unveiled XN50, the world’s first lithium-ion battery cell featuring a niobium-based active anode material. ([More]() > Dutch firm LiftOff, in collaboration with wind turbine manufacturer Vestas, has achieved the major feat of carrying out a generator swap for an offshore wind turbine without towing it to the land. ([More]() > A team of Belgian students and engineers on Friday won a solar-powered car race in South Africa, widely considered the most challenging for testing the technology. ([More]() INNOVATION > A Finland-based firm is aiming to increase the performance of the central processing units (CPUs) used in computers by up to 100 times using what the company calls – parallel processing units (PPU) cores. ([More]() > A new technology aims to capture carbon dioxide and utilize it to produce lycopene. The compound is a powerful antioxidant found in fruits and vegetables. ([More]() > The world’s first large-scale remote sensing basic model with more than 10 billion parameters, “RingMo 3.0,” was launched at the first Aerospace Information Technology Conference on Saturday, marking it as an integrated space-air remote sensing model. ([More]() VIDEO > A recent video shows the Institute for Human & Machine Cognition’s (IHMC) humanoid robot Nadia practicing boxing with a VR motion capture setup and a remote joystick. ([More]() > Elon Musk’s move into a Boxabl house shifted attention to the prefabricated home market, offering a cheaper alternative to traditional houses. Would you live in one? ([More]() IE QUIZ: THE RESULTS The answer is: 6 + 11 + 13 = 30 Ready for more brainy challenges? Gear up for future IE quizzes by following us on [Instagram]( and [Facebook!]( FROM THE WEB > Hong Kong scientists create robot that can take on back-breaking construction [tasks]( > Amazed I’m still alive’: surfer survives massive wipeout in [Tasmania]( > Chinese scientists hope panda stem cell breakthrough can help species [survive]( > A space rock is about to become Earth’s new [‘mini-moon’]( > Lebanese doctor races to save the eyes of those hurt by exploding tech [devices]( > ‘It’s my life’: Inside the record-breaking world of giant [vegetables]( Additional Reads --------------------------------------------------------------- [⚙️ Mechanical:](Explore the wonders of mechanical engineering. [🛩️ Aerospace:]( The latest on propulsion, satellites, aeronautics, and more. [🧑🏻‍🔧 Engineer Pros:]( The latest in engineering news, career updates, and insider knowledge. [🧠AI Logs:]( Insights into the intricacies and developments within the realm of artificial intelligence. 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