Facebook will delete one billion faceprints

Amazon to launch its first two Project Kuiper satellites in 2022, returning ISS crew might have to hold it in after SpaceX Crew Dragon toilet issue Nov 03, 2021 # Good morning. SpaceX’s latest engineering challenge? A pesky, leaky toilet. And, since NASA can't summon a plumber from orbit, astronauts will have to make do with undergarments. While that doesn’t sound appealing, there’s some solace in knowing how far space johns have come. Also in today’s edition, Amazon will launch the first two satellite prototypes of its Project Kuiper in the fourth quarter of 2022. Not to rain on anyone’s parade, but this schedule is putting it four years behind Elon Musk’s Starlink. Additionally, Facebook — sorry, “Meta” will shut down its facial recognition software and delete a billion faceprints, in an attempt to clear its deteriorating public image. Whether it works we leave up to you. This is The Blueprint. Happy reading. INNOVATION [Amazon to Launch Its First Two Project Kuiper Satellites in 2022]( [ABL Space Systems' RS-1 rocket.]( Remember when Amazon announced Project Kuiper alongside a partnership with Verizon last week? We have a major update: The e-commerce titan [will launch the first two of its Project Kuiper internet satellites]( in the fourth quarter of 2022, putting its satellite launch schedule nearly four years behind SpaceX’s Starlink. - Early days. Amazon and Verizon were given FCC approval to launch a total of 3,236 low Earth orbit satellites. First, they will send two satellites called KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 into low Earth orbit. These will launch aboard an ABL Space Systems RS-1 rocket and function as prototype satellites, allowing the Project Kuiper team to gather data and work on improvements for future satellites. Once the necessary data is collected, the two prototype satellites will meet an "atmospheric demise" as they’re deliberately deorbited to avoid adding to the danger of space junk. The endgame. Much like Starlink, Project Kuiper aims to provide affordable high-speed internet to areas without fast internet infrastructure. Amazon and Verizon are following in the footsteps of Starlink, which is fast approaching its full service launch despite several delays. To date, Elon Musk’s aerospace firm has launched 1,600 satellites into orbit and filed paperwork for up to 42,000 satellites for the constellation! - A heated feud. Project Kuiper adds another dimension to the rivalry between Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos and SpaceX Founder and CEO Elon Musk, both of whom remain embroiled in an ongoing court struggle [involving NASA and a lucrative moon lander contract](. Is space big enough? SpaceX undeniably has a stronger portfolio of space milestones when compared with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. SpaceX, for example, has launched several crewed astronaut missions to orbit, while Blue Origin has only recently sent two space tourist missions to suborbital space. Bezos has a lot of catching up to do, and there will likely be plenty of room for competition in the burgeoning internet satellite market — provided we figure out [how to deal with the growing space junk problem](. [Read More]( SCIENCE [Returning ISS Crew Might Have to Hold It In After SpaceX Crew Dragon Toilet Issue]( [The capsule.]( The Crew-2 astronauts returning from the International Space Station (ISS) [will have to make do without a toilet]( during their hours-long journey home after a possible urine leak issue was discovered in SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule. - An ongoing issue. The issue was first detected during the Inspiration4 mission in September, while the Crew Dragon capsule was in orbit. Upon closer inspection, astronauts noticed the leaky toilet, and witnessed urine leaking into the walls. SpaceX has already redesigned the toilet to fix and clean up the issue, but the problem wasn’t discovered until the Crew-2 mission to the ISS was underway. The toilet is off-limits. This means that mission's capsule will have to wait until it returns to Earth to be repaired, and the crew will have to rely on “undergarments” for potty breaks (we have reached the Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment). The spacecraft should still be relatively safe to fly, but the situation reflects how, even after a spacecraft has performed all essential test flights, completed reviews and certifications, and successfully completed mission parameters, design flaws can throw a wrench into everything. Hold it in? Astronauts have used “undergarments” to relieve themselves when clad in spacesuits for launches, landings or spacewalks for a long time. NASA's first space toilet, onboard the Skylab space station in 1973, arrived in orbit after a dozen years of exploration. Imagine managing your excitement at being the first astronaut to space while also dying for a restroom break! - Apollo astronauts, for example, [relied on bags and hoses to relieve themselves]( throughout their trips. In fact, astronauts have left a total of 96 bags containing urine, feces, vomit and other waste on the Moon, which we should probably go back and collect, eventually. What to expect. The Crew-3 launch was delayed until this weekend due to inclement weather along the flight path, when the Crew-2 astronauts will be coming back is still an open question, but, come Saturday, get ready for the big event. [Read More]( CULTURE [Facebook Plans to Shut Down Facial Recognition, Delete a Billion Faceprints]( [Facebook.]( In an attempt to redeem itself, Facebook, now rebranded as Meta, [is shutting down its decade-old facial recognition software]( which was introduced in December 2010. As part of the change, the tech giant will delete the facial scan data of more than 1 billion users from its social network. What’s that? If you've ever used Facebook, you'll know that this technology automatically detects the identity of people in your photos and videos, and generates suggested tags of their accounts. Before that, we had to endure the labor of tagging people manually, if you can believe it. - What’s changing? The update will take effect in the coming weeks, and users’ faces will no longer be recognized in photos, videos, or Memories on Facebook. Users who have agreed to use the technology will have their templates removed, and while tagging is still possible, you'll have to do it manually. Zoom out. Facial recognition has become practically ubiquitous in only a few short years. These days, the simplest of acts, like unlocking your phone and laptop or ordering a pizza, can be done simply by showing your face. But when a Big Tech company uses the technology, the scale is very different and can quickly turn into a privacy nightmare. The technology received heavy criticism from privacy advocates in the European Union and the United States, but it has also received support from more than a billion users who opted-in to the face-recognition software for photos and videos. - Saving face. The controversy surrounding the issue has caused facial recognition to suffer some major setbacks, despite massive investments by tech behemoths. Last year, for example, [Amazon, Microsoft, and IBM declared]( they would stop selling facial recognition software to police departments, who have come under scrutiny for using the technology to identify political demonstrators. Under wraps. If Zuckerberg’s firm really wants to save its image, Meta could step up efforts to stop pictures shared on its platform from being used by others. Companies like Clearview AI have scrapped publicly available images to train their software and offer facial recognition services [to more than 2,200 law enforcement agencies, companies, and individuals](. [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS There’s no way around it now: Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook becoming Meta amid mounting controversy means the company is also becoming much more than just another social media platform. Do you think Facebook can clear its image by rebranding itself as Meta? Be sure you check back tomorrow for the results! [Facebook doesn’t have a bad image.]( [No, the damage is done.]( [Yes, the public’s attention span is quite short.]( [Of course! Zuckie deserves a second chance.]( Yesterday’s Results And now the answer to yesterday’s question! We asked readers whether they believed cryptocurrencies are here to stay. And it looks like 38% of you answered, "I don’t believe in imaginary money," suggesting it's all a dangerous balloon waiting to pop. On the other hand, another 36% think cryptocurrencies of the future will be different than the ones we know now. That’s perfectly understandable since blockchain could always be unseated by better technology. I don’t believe in imaginary money. 38% Yes, but they’ll be different than what we have now. 36% Yes, they are the future. 13% No, governments will ban them. 13% QUOTE OF THE DAY “ Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space. ” Douglas Adams in 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [Three Steps to Colonizing Mars by 2040]( What will it take for us to live on the Red Planet? [Three Steps to Colonizing Mars by 2040]( TODAY IN HISTORY In 1957, Sputnik 2 was launched, carrying the first live animal into space: Laika, a Siberian husky dog chosen from the streets of Moscow. The craft was not designed to be recovered, and Laika suffered a tragic death from stress and overheating in orbit. While she was alive, the first of its type biological data was beamed back to Earth, and it revealed how Laika was adjusting to space, which is crucial knowledge for future manned trips. We owe a lot to Laika, and [other animals who’ve paved the way]( for us to reach the stars. AND ANOTHER THING... - Tech giants can brush off antitrust and privacy fines like they’re nothing — [is there any way to push back]( - SpaceX is working night and day to build its Mars-bound rocket. And [an incredible 24-hour timelapse video]( reveals this intense construction in action. (Inverse) - [Chevrolet’s new "beast" is]( a 650-HP desert runner that’s worthy of the U.S. Army. - Some advocates claim that widespread psychedelic use will change the world for the better. [But it’s not that simple](. (VICE) - Sixty years ago, the Soviet Union detonated the world’s most powerful nuclear weapon, with a force 3,333 times that of the bomb used on Hiroshima. As the device shattered all records, it also [sent shock waves through the American defense establishment](. (The New York Times $) - Could we power ocean cleaning voyages with the same plastics they collect? [A new study says yes](. - A new skin that leverages advances in machine learning and magnetic sensing can help robots actually feel. You could say [its first mission will be to construct the Metaverse](. Prepared by Derya Ozdemir and Brad Bergan Enjoy reading? Don't forget to forward to a friend! Was this email forwarded to you? [Subscribe]( [About Us]( | [Advertise]( | [Contact Us]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter. 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