SpaceX aims for Mars

Keith Preston

2 years ago

Monday, 23 September 2024

“The overriding sense of Tokyo is that it is a city devoted to the new, sped up in a subtle but profound way: a postmodern science-fiction story set ten minutes in the future.”

David Rakoff

STORY OF THE DAY

Better lives for all in South Africa? Still a long way off

By Stephen Grootes

After a depressingly long period where all the major indicators showed that life for most people in SA was only getting tougher, some of the metrics now indicate some improvements. However, a sense of vulnerability remains as many of our systems need fundamental changes that will be difficult to implement.

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

🇺🇦🇺🇸 Volodymyr Zelensky is in the US ahead of a crucial UN General Assembly address. Zelensky has toured a munitions plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, signalling that “this fall” [autumn] will “determine” Russia’s fate and the future of the war.

🚀🌌 SpaceX will be launching up to five uncrewed missions to Mars. If that goes well, explained Elon Musk, then manned missions would be considered possible within four years.

🇺🇸💵 Kamala Harris will unveil a raft of economic proposals that would spark wealth creation and boost businesses in America. No specifics have been mentioned as yet, nor whether any of them addresses the debt-laden elephant in the room.

🇩🇪🗳️ German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats have fended off the far-right in a state election challenge. The Brandenburg elections had the far-right Alternative for Germany nipping at Scholz’s Social Democrats, until the latter appeared to have broken clear.

PICTURE OF THE DAY

📷 John Green

“Spioenkop Nature Reserve and Dam on a snowy September Saturday.”

KwaZulu-Natal.

Have a picture for us? Send it our way.

Click here for last week’s pictures.

IN NUMBERS

60+

… the number of times Martin Sheen has been arrested for protesting.

FACTS OF THE DAY

Today is International Day of Sign Languages.

Most of our oxygen actually comes from oceanic plankton.

SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

🏏 Aiden Markram scored an unbeaten 69 as South Africa beat Afghanistan by seven-wickets in the final ODI in Sharjah on Sunday. The Proteas lost the series 2-1.

🏊🏼‍♀ Artistic swimming pair Jessica Hayes-Hill and Laura Strugnell have won their appeal against Swimming South Africa (SSA) after being sanctioned, withdrawn and sent home from the World Championships in Doha earlier this year.

🏉 The time has come to have a serious discussion about whether the Springbok management should persist with flyhalf Manie Libbok.

DAILY MAVERICK TODAY

Melting ice, hidden dangers? The suspected explosives buried next to the world’s biggest Adélie penguin rookery

By Tiara Walters

Woman kidnapped on way to popular Port St Johns resort

By Estelle Ellis

WATCH – When trafficking goes bust: The ‘slip-ups’ that foiled major drug deals

By Caryn Dolley

MPs ‘emotionally drained’ over dire conditions, alleged corruption at Philippi Police Academy

By Velani Ludidi

All eyes on ANC bigwigs after NPA bags a witness in Gaston Savoi

By Greg Ardé and Sam Sole for amaBhungane

OPINIONISTAS

To honour Pravin Gordhan’s legacy, the justice minister and the VBS accused must face NPA action

By Professor Balthazar

James Matthews and Pravin Gordhan — SA patriots who passionately defended democracy

By Judith February

John Stupart

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