NASA’s New Earth Science Mission Launching in 2027
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The Investigation of Convective Updrafts (INCUS) consists of 3 small satellites and is expected to launch in 2027 as part of the Earth Venture Program at NASA. “In a changing climate, more accurate information about how storms develop and intensify can help improve weather models and our ability to predict risk of extreme weather,” said Karen St. Germain, NASA’s Earth Science division director. INCUS was selected through the Earth Venture Mission-3 solicitation and aims to understand when, where, and why convective storms, heavy precipitation, and clouds occur. This $177 million mission will be supported by various NASA centers including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center, with satellite components being provided by Blue Canyon Technologies and Tendeg LLC. [NASA JPL][By Justin Wei]
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Tim Hortons to Partner with Justin Bieber to make 3 New Timbit Flavours
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Dubbed “Timbiebs,” these new Timbits will be chocolate white fudge, sour cream chocolate chip, and birthday cake waffle flavoured. Tim Hortons will also be rolling out new merchandise to go along with it. Although this partnership between Justin Bieber and Tim Hortons seems sudden, it has actually been in the works since 2019. Bieber has always been very vocal about his love for Tim Hortons on social media. This resulted in a conversation between him, and the Tim Hortons marketing team. After hundreds of trials of various timbits, it culminated in the 3 flavours that will be released on 29 November, 2021. [CBC][by Miranda Zhao]
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Ontario: Further Reopening Paused as 7-Day Average of COVID Cases Passes 500
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As the 7-day average of new COVID cases in the province continues to rise, the Ontario government has decided to put a pause on the next step of reopening. Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore made the announcement Wednesday afternoon. He stated that although province-wide restrictions would not be introduced, a pause would be implemented out of an “abundance of caution.” Capacity limits in higher-risk settings like strip clubs, bathhouses and food or drink establishments with dance facilities were to be lifted on November 14th, but has since been delayed at least 28 days. No other changes to Ontario’s reopening plan have been made at this time. [Global News][Joshua Zhuang]
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Luka Game Winning 3 pointer, Lakers continue to Fall
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Saturday night saw perhaps the best game winner in the past few seasons. With 2 seconds left on the clock, Luka Dončić stepped back with 3 defenders in his face. Pushing the Mavericks to the 3rd in the West, putting Tatum and the Boston Celtics back into their winless slump. Through Sunday, teams have played an average of 9.7 games, not enough for a full evaluation on the season, but nevertheless valuable. As the Lakers continue to fall, with Westbrook at the center of their criticism, it is now the time to question whether the title favourites can turn everything around before the playoffs. Has the reality set in? [NBA][Sam Li]
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600th Human to Reach Space in SpaceX Rocket
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Four astronauts were carried into orbit by a SpaceX rocket 10 Wednesday November 10. Prior to the launch, NASA tweeted “NASA and @SpaceX are lighting a big candle in the sky for you tonight.” The long awaited flight was repeatedly delayed due to weather conditions, but when at last they took off, mission commander Raja Chari said that “It was a great ride, better than we imagined.” On board this flight was the 600th human to ever reach space, a position claimed by Germany’s Matthias Maurer. As time goes by, more space exploration is expected and the controversy surrounding space tourism is growing as well. [CBC][By Iris Ma]
