SpaceX launches test rocket, breaks apart before landing
Cape Canaveral, Mar 30: SpaceX chalked up another failed landing Tuesday for its futuristic, bullet-shaped Starship, as the prototype Mars rocket broke apart right before touchdown.
A camera on the rocket froze not quite six minutes into the test flight, and dense fog in South Texas obscured views of the ruptured rocket.
Other video showed debris raining down and explosions could be heard.
SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk tweeted that at least the crater is in the right place! He's named the launch and landing area at the southeastern tip of Texas, near the Mexico border, Starbase.
This was the fourth full-scale stainless steel model to launch since December to an altitude of more than 6 miles (10 kilometers). The previous three exploded at touchdown or shortly afterward.
Another exciting test, as we say, SpaceX launch commentator John Insprucker said as he concluded the webcast.
SpaceX plans to use Starship to send astronauts and cargo to the moon and, ultimately, Mars. Musk said earlier this month that SpaceX will be landing Starships on Mars well before 2030.
But he noted that the really hard threshold is making Mars Base Alpha self-sustaining.
At least the crater is in the right place!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 30, 2021
Looks like engine 2 had issues on ascent & didn’t reach operating chamber pressure during landing burn, but, in theory, it wasn’t needed.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 30, 2021
Something significant happened shortly after landing burn start. Should know what it was once we can examine the bits later today.
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Cong chief Kharge writes to PM Modi, calls for dialogue with all parties on caste census
New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to draw upon the Telangana model for the caste survey, remove 50 per cent cap for reservation and immediately implement Article 15(5) providing for reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs in private educational institutions.
In a letter to Modi, Kharge also called on the prime minister to have a dialogue with all political parties soon on the issue of the caste census.
"Conducting any exercise such as the caste census which gives the backward, the oppressed and the marginalized sections of our society their rights cannot and should not be considered divisive in any way," Kharge said.
"Our great nation and our large-hearted people have always come together as one whenever needed, just as we have done after the recent cowardly terrorist attacks in Pahalgam," he said in his letter to Modi dated May 5.
The Congress believes that conducting the caste census in the comprehensive manner is absolutely necessary to ensure social and economic justice and equality of status and opportunity as pledged in the Preamble of our Constitution, Kharge said.
Sharing Kharge's letter on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Following the CWC meeting on May 2nd, the Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge ji wrote to the PM last night on Mr. Modi's sudden and desperate U-turn on the caste census - even as the nation's anguish and anger at the brutal Pahalgam terror attacks continued unabated."
"Kharge ji has made three very specific suggestions," he said.
