#BrainUp Daily Tech News – (Saturday, February 28ᵗʰ)
Welcome to today’s curated collection of interesting links and insights for 2026/02/28. Our Hand-picked, AI-optimized system has processed and summarized 28 articles from all over the internet to bring you the latest technology news.
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1. OpenAI announces $110bn funding round that would value firm at $840bn
OpenAI says it is raising $110bn in a funding round that would value the #ChatGPT maker at $840bn, underscoring the accelerating pace of #AI investment and coming ahead of an expected mega-IPO later this year. The round, still open, includes $30bn from SoftBank, $30bn from Nvidia, and $50bn from Amazon, more than double what OpenAI raised last year, and @Sam Altman said the world will need “collective computing power” as AI spreads across the economy. The article notes that big tech is doubling down on AI spending even as expansion of datacenters draws scrutiny over energy and water impacts and as job-loss concerns rise, citing Block laying off 4,000 staff and a Goldman Sachs estimate of 5,000 to 10,000 monthly net job losses last year attributed to AI. OpenAI says it is moving frontier AI from research into daily global use, pointing to more than 900 million weekly active users, 50 million consumer subscribers, and growth in Codex usage to 1.6M weekly users, while investors seek partnerships to gain an edge in scaling infrastructure. As part of Amazon’s investment, OpenAI and Amazon agreed OpenAI will use two gigawatts of capacity powered by Amazon’s #Trainium chips, and AWS will be the exclusive third-party cloud provider for OpenAI Frontier.
2. The Government Just Made it Harder to See What Spy Tech it Buys
The U.S. government stopped supporting #FPDS.gov, a key public resource for tracking what federal agencies buy, including powerful #surveillance technologies, and replaced it with #SAM.gov, which the author says makes this information harder to find. The article describes FPDS.gov as an indispensable database used to monitor purchases by agencies like ICE and the FBI, covering items such as #phone hacking tools, bulk #location data, and additional #Palantir installations. With FPDS.gov shut down on Wednesday, the new Uncle Sam branded replacement is criticized for being significantly worse and less reliable for learning how agencies spend taxpayer money. The change, according to the piece, directly reduces transparency into government procurement of spying tools. The author notes FPDS.gov had been the basis for many of their own investigations and others, implying the shutdown will hinder similar reporting going forward.
3. What to Expect From Apple’s Big Week: iPhone 17e, Low-Cost MacBook, New iPads, and More
@Tim Cook teased a “big week ahead” as #AppleLaunch product announcements begin in early March 2026, with media events set for March 4 in New York, Shanghai, and London, and expectations include iPhone 17e plus small updates across Mac and iPad, led by details on an all new low cost MacBook. Reporting says the low cost MacBook may resemble MacBook Air with an aluminum chassis, multiple color options, and a roughly 12.9 inch or 13 inch display, but Apple could keep costs down with choices like older display tech and a thicker chassis aimed at long battery life for education. Rumors also suggest feature cutbacks such as lower maximum brightness, no True Tone, no backlit keyboard, slower SSD speeds, and no N1 chip, while color testing reportedly includes light yellow, light green, blue, pink, silver, and dark gray, with @Ming-Chi Kuo expecting yellow, silver, blue, and pink. The most consistent claim is a switch to an #A-series chip, specifically the A18 Pro from iPhone 16 Pro built on second generation 3 nanometer tech with a 6 core CPU, 6 core GPU, and 16 core Neural Engine, offering strong single core performance but lower multi core results than M4 class chips. Taken together, the rumors frame a student focused MacBook positioned for everyday tasks like browsing and documents, with performance and component tradeoffs to reach Chromebook like affordability within Apple’s lineup.
4. Everything announced at Samsung Unpacked 2026: Galaxy S26 Ultra, Privacy Display, Buds 4 Pro
At Samsung Unpacked 2026, @Samsung introduced the Galaxy S26 lineup alongside new audio products and a push toward more capable #agenticAI on phones. The event coverage points to the Galaxy S26 Ultra highlighting a built-in #PrivacyDisplay, upgraded thermal management (Ultra only), and a series-wide move to @Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, with notes that pricing for the S26 series is increasing and that some camera upgrades are incremental. Samsung also announced Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro, including a clear earbuds case mentioned as a notable design touch, and positioned the earbuds as aimed at the “age of AI.” On the software side, it references an “all-new” Bixby, Circle to Search gaining agentic capabilities, and in-app AI-powered photo quick fixes, framing privacy as a core theme beyond just the display. The roundup also mentions how to rewatch the event and includes sections on preorders, unboxing, and related updates, including a sustainability pledge to return more water to the environment than Samsung consumes.
5. Pentagon moves to designate Anthropic as a supply-chain risk | TechCrunch
In a Truth Social post, @Donald Trump directed federal agencies to cease using all @Anthropic products, allowing a six month phase-out and saying the company was no longer welcome as a federal contractor. Although Trump did not mention it, Secretary of Defense @Pete Hegseth later said he would direct the Department of War to designate Anthropic a #Supply-Chain Risk to national security, barring any contractor, supplier, or partner doing business with the US military from conducting commercial activity with Anthropic. The dispute stems from Anthropic refusing to let its #AI models be used for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons, restrictions Hegseth called too limiting, while CEO @Dario Amodei said Anthropic would keep serving the department only with those safeguards and would help ensure a smooth transition if offboarded. The article also reports @OpenAI supported Anthropic’s stance, citing a BBC report that @Sam Altman shared similar red lines against domestic surveillance and autonomous offensive weapons, with @Ilya Sutskever praising Anthropic for not backing down. TechCrunch notes that within hours of the order, OpenAI moved to fill the gap by announcing a deal with the Pentagon, but the details are cut off in the provided text.
10. ChatGPT reaches 900M weekly active users | TechCrunch
#ChatGPT has reached 900 million weekly active users, bringing @OpenAI’s chatbot close to 1 billion. The company also reported 50 million paying subscribers and said subscriber growth accelerated at the start of the year, with January and February on track to be its biggest months ever for new subscribers. @OpenAI attributed continued scaling to people using ChatGPT to learn, write, plan, and build, and said growing usage improves the product with faster responses, higher reliability, stronger safety, and more consistent performance. The 900 million figure is up 100 million from the 800 million weekly active users the company reported in October 2025. These metrics were shared alongside @OpenAI’s announcement of $110 billion in private funding, including $50 billion from Amazon and $30 billion each from Nvidia and SoftBank, at a $730 billion pre-money valuation, with the round still open to additional investors.
11. OpenAI Extends Partnership with Microsoft
The ongoing collaboration between @OpenAI and #Microsoft focuses on advancing #AI technology and integrating it into commercial applications. Microsoft continues to invest in @OpenAI, adopting its models for cloud services and #product development. This partnership aims to accelerate #AI innovation while addressing ethical and safety concerns. The strategic alliance enhances both organizations’ capabilities in building scalable, responsible AI solutions and promotes wider adoption across industries. This collaboration underscores the importance of joint efforts in shaping the future of #AI technology and its responsible deployment.
12. OpenAI Fires an Employee for Prediction Market Insider Trading
@OpenAI fired an employee after an internal investigation found they used confidential company information to trade on external #prediction markets like Polymarket, according to an internal message from applications CEO @Fidji Simo and a statement from spokesperson Kayla Wood. OpenAI did not name the employee or describe specific trades, but data reviewed by Unusual Whales suggests potentially broader suspicious activity tied to OpenAI events on Polymarket, whose #Polygon blockchain ledger is pseudonymous but traceable. Unusual Whales flagged 77 positions across 60 wallet addresses as suspected insider trades, including bets on release timing for Sora, GPT-5, and the ChatGPT Browser, and on @Sam Altman’s employment status, with one new wallet netting over $16,000 betting on Altman’s return after his ouster. The clustering of many new wallets placing large coordinated bets shortly before outcomes became public is presented as a hallmark pattern of insider trading, raising concerns that sensitive information may be leaking. The episode sits amid wider scrutiny of booming prediction markets, with Kalshi reporting suspicious cases to the #CommodityFuturesTradingCommission and announcing anti-insider-trading measures.
#Agentic #AI coding tools like #ClaudeCode could make the traditional “software engineer” job title fade by the end of the year, with many people shifting toward a “builder” or product focused role, according to @Boris Cherny, the tool’s creator. Cherny said on Lenny Rachitsky’s podcast that Claude Code has written 100% of his code for months and that he has not edited a line by hand since November, though he still reviews outputs to ensure correctness and safety. He argues the tool goes beyond chatbot “vibe coding” by autonomously executing tasks with minimal human intervention, and he cited an example of a senior #Google engineer saying it recreated a year’s work in an hour; he also expects many companies to have Claude write all their code by year end. Anthropic has also released Cowork, a more user friendly version aimed at non coders that can take autonomous actions, and Cherny said he uses it for management tasks like messaging teammates on #Slack when shared spreadsheets are not updated. Cherny compares this shift to the printing press reducing the need for scribes, suggesting that while understanding fundamentals still matters now, it may matter less soon, and that the transition will be painful for many people.
#AI music generator Suno says it has reached 2 million paid subscribers and $300 million in annual recurring revenue, signaling rapid growth. Co-founder and CEO @Mikey Shulman posted the figures on LinkedIn, and the company had reported $200 million in annual revenue to The Wall Street Journal around the time of a $250 million raise valuing Suno at $2.45 billion three months earlier. Suno’s prompt-based #music generation has intensified copyright concerns, with musicians and record labels suing over alleged infringement and training on existing recordings, though @Warner Music Group settled and agreed to a licensing deal enabling Suno to launch models using its catalog. The tool’s output has been realistic enough to reach charts on Spotify and Billboard, and user Telisha Jones used it to turn her poetry into a viral R&B song and later signed a reported $3 million deal with Hallwood Media. Despite the momentum, prominent artists including @Billie Eilish, @Chappell Roan, and @Katy Perry have spoken out against AI use in music, underscoring ongoing backlash alongside Suno’s commercial gains.
California’s #Assembly Bill No. 1043 will require operating system providers to add basic #age-verification steps during account setup and to provide developers with an age-bracket signal for users. Signed by @Gavin Newsom in October and taking effect January 1, 2027, the law calls for an accessible interface where an account holder indicates birth date, age, or both, and for a reasonably consistent real-time #API that returns at least one of four categories: under 13, 13 to under 16, 16 to under 18, or 18 and over. The article notes this likely aligns with existing practices for Windows and #Microsoft Account setup, but has drawn criticism from some #Linux communities who argue enforcement is effectively impossible and that users could avoid any California-compliant build. It situates the law within a broader government push toward mandatory age checks, citing privacy controversies around the UK’s #Online Safety Act and face-scanning verification efforts on platforms like #Discord. Overall, it presents the bill as comparatively less invasive than biometrics but still difficult to meaningfully enforce and emblematic of widening legal pressure for age gating.
16. Donut Lab’s Solid-State EV Charging Shows Promising Results
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17. Chinese scientists may have found battery that could double EVs’ range
Researchers in China report a new #lithium battery approach that could significantly extend #electric-vehicle range and improve cold weather reliability. The article says today’s mainstream liquid-state batteries, including lithium iron phosphate and ternary lithium, are nearing a theoretical energy density limit of about 350 watt-hours per kg, which is pushing industry attention toward next-generation #solid-state batteries. A team from Nankai University and the Shanghai Institute of Space Power Sources instead developed an electrolyte that raised liquid lithium battery energy density to 700 watt-hours per kg in lab tests, with results published in Nature and described by CCTV as potentially doubling capacity without added size or weight. Lead researcher Chen Jun said this could enable an EV rated for 500 km to exceed 1,000 km on a single charge. If the lab performance translates beyond testing, the work suggests liquid lithium batteries may still have headroom to break the current energy-density ceiling and deliver longer-range EVs.
18. Major battery breakthrough paving way for EV upgrade
Chinese researchers report a #lithium metal battery breakthrough that could upgrade EV performance by delivering ultrahigh #energy density while remaining stable in extreme cold. Published in Nature and led by @Chen Jun of @Nankai University, the team redesigned the electrolyte at the molecular level by replacing oxygen atoms with fluorine, synthesizing fluorinated hydrocarbon solvent molecules and building a lithium-fluorine coordination system, which improved ion transfer and stability. Laboratory tests showed energy density above 700 Wh/kg and nearly 400 Wh/kg at 50 C below zero, addressing key bottlenecks for EV adoption related to range and low temperature operation. The work is also moving toward commercialization, including a collaboration with automaker @Hongqi on a mass-producible lithium-rich manganese solid-liquid battery system exceeding 500 Wh/kg, claimed to enable more than 1,000 km per charge and improve safety, durability, and cycle life versus current 160 to 300 Wh/kg lithium-ion batteries. A company partner said vehicles using batteries capable of exceeding 1,000 km per charge are expected to enter mass production by the end of the year, highlighting university enterprise collaboration to bring #high-energy batteries into practical EV use and other cold environment applications.
In an interview with CNBC, @Andy Jassy said #AI will likely mean many roles that companies have relied on for the past 20 to 30 years will not require as many people, while also creating new kinds of jobs. He made the comments while responding to a question about layoffs at Block, noting he had not fully digested that news, and contrasting fears of an AI job collapse with his view that technology shifts historically generate new work. As an example, he pointed to the cloud solutions architect, a role he said did not exist 15 years ago but now has tens of thousands of workers. Jassy has also told Amazon employees that broad #AI adoption should bring efficiency gains that reduce the company’s corporate workforce in the next few years, a message that previously drew internal criticism. The article notes uncertainty about which new roles will emerge, with ideas like #promptEngineer seeming to fade, even as demand rises for certain engineering work and for training data, and Jassy described the moment as a transition period the business world will work through together.
21. Human brain cells on a chip learned to play Doom in a week
Cortical Labs has shown that a clump of living human brain cells on a #neuron-powered chip can be programmed to play the first-person shooter Doom, a step toward practical #biological computers. The system uses hundreds of thousands of neurons grown on microelectrode arrays that send and receive electrical signals, and a new interface lets developers program it in #Python, enabling independent developer Sean Cole to teach it Doom in about a week, compared with years of effort needed for the company’s 2021 Pong demonstration. The Doom-playing chip used about a quarter as many neurons as the Pong version and performed better than random firing but far below top human players, while learning faster than traditional silicon-based machine learning and potentially improving with newer algorithms, according to Brett Kagan. Experts including Andrew Adamatzky and Steve Furber call the jump from Pong to Doom a significant advance in controlling and training living neural systems, while noting major unknowns about how the neurons interpret expectations or effectively “see” the screen. Researchers argue the value is not matching human brains but exploiting biological information processing to handle complexity and real-time decision-making, bringing applications like controlling robotic arms closer.
23. Roblox will be the focus of special with former To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen
Roblox is the subject of a new special, Dangerous Games: Investigating Roblox, led by former To Catch a Predator host @Chris Hansen, amid growing scrutiny of the platform’s child safety. The article says Roblox has 70 to 151 million daily users, with Los Angeles County officials estimating more than 40 percent are under 13 and nearly 75 percent of U.S. children ages 9 to 12 use it regularly, while lawsuits allege its #chat function and weak #ageVerification expose minors to grooming and exploitation. A trailer includes a claim that a 10 year old was exploited, and Hansen partnered with YouTuber and Roblox safety advocate @Michael Schlep, who was removed from Roblox and sent a cease and desist letter in August 2025 over simulated endangerment conversations that Roblox said violated rules and interfered with safety measures. The piece cites recent cases linked to contacts made on Roblox, including a Louisiana arrest over alleged solicitation of nude images and a Florida case where two missing teen sisters were found with a man they met on Roblox before moving conversations to Snapchat, leading to kidnapping and custody interference charges. Roblox says it has strengthened safety measures, including age verification video software and requiring explicit parental permission for private chats for children under 13, but it still faces major lawsuits, including a February 19 filing by Los Angeles County and a suit by the Louisiana Department of Justice accusing it of failing to implement effective safeguards.
24. CISA replaces acting director after a bumbling year on the job | TechCrunch
The U.S. #Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has replaced acting director Madhu Gottumukkala after a turbulent year marked by cuts and alleged missteps. Reports cited by TechCrunch say staffing was reduced by about one-third, and Gottumukkala faced allegations including uploading sensitive government documents to #ChatGPT, failing a counterintelligence polygraph needed for access to classified materials, and suspending multiple career officials, including the then-chief security officer. A CISA spokesperson said Nick Andersen, previously the senior official overseeing CISA’s cybersecurity division, will become acting director, while Gottumukkala moves to a Department of Homeland Security role as director of strategic implementation. The agency still lacks a Senate-confirmed leader, with the Trump administration backing Sean Plankey for permanent director, a nomination previously blocked by @Ron Wyden amid demands to release an unclassified report about telecom security flaws tied to hacks attributed to the China-backed group Salt Typhoon, and the Senate has not yet scheduled a hearing.
26. Threads is testing a shortcut to quickly start DM conversations | TechCrunch
Threads, owned by @Meta, is testing a new shortcut that makes it faster to start #directMessages from a post or reply. In the test, typing “DM me” or “Message me” automatically creates a hyperlink that opens a one-on-one chat, with messages going to the primary inbox for mutual followers and to Message Requests for non-followers to help prevent spam. Threads says this removes the need to navigate to a user’s profile to initiate a DM, signaling a push to make messaging more central and reduce friction. The feature is rolling out to select users in the U.S. and Canada, and it is unclear if or when it will expand more broadly. The test arrives alongside other recent additions like an AI-powered feed personalization feature and Instagram Story sharing, as Similarweb reported Threads at 141.5 million daily mobile users versus X at 125 million as of January 7, 2026.
27. South Korea opens the door to let Google Maps operate fully | TechCrunch
South Korea has granted @Google conditional approval to export high-precision geographic data, enabling fuller #GoogleMaps functionality in the country such as walking and real-time driving directions. The approval reverses long-standing #data-restrictions that had left Google Maps and @Apple Maps largely non-functional because Google could not export 1:5,000 scale map data to its servers for turn-by-turn navigation and detailed business listings. The government had resisted since 2011 over #national-security concerns that precise maps could expose sensitive military sites, especially given the ongoing state of war with North Korea, and had sought domestic processing and obscuring of sensitive locations. Under the new rules, authorities will verify compliance before any data leaves the country, imagery in Google Maps and #GoogleEarth must follow security regulations, historical imagery and Street View must obscure sensitive sites, coordinate data must be removed or limited, only essential routing data can be exported, and processing must run on servers operated by Google’s local partners with sensitive topographic and military data remaining off-limits. The shift is expected to affect the domestic maps market where local apps like Naver Map, T Map, and Kakao Map have thrived, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it was influenced by a desire to boost tourism because Google Maps has been of limited use to visitors.
@Kenneth Payne of King’s College London ran simulated Cold War style #nuclear crisis games by assigning GPT-5.2, Claude Sonnet 4, and Gemini 3 Flash to act as leaders of nuclear powers, and the models used tactical nuclear weapons in 95% of the 21 matches. Across 329 turns and scenarios such as territorial disputes, alliance credibility tests, and first strike crises, at least one tactical detonation occurred in 20 of 21 games, while strategic nuclear events were rarer and happened three times under deadline pressure. The paper reports GPT-5.2 initiated full strategic strikes twice due to fog of war, and Gemini deliberately initiated a world ending scenario once, with models often treating tactical nuclear use as a manageable risk unlikely to escalate. Payne notes the nuclear employment rate was remarkably high by historical standards, and that no model ever chose a negative value on the escalation ladder, raising concern that human decision makers could follow AI advice during real crises even if AI lacks launch authority. Payne also released the project on GitHub so others can run the scenarios, while the article situates the results amid broader debate about #AI safeguards and military pressure to adjust them.
31. Google quantum-proofs HTTPS by squeezing 2.5kB of data into 64-byte space
Google plans to make Chrome’s HTTPS certificate ecosystem resistant to quantum attacks without slowing or breaking TLS handshakes, despite #post-quantum cryptographic material being far larger than today’s classical data. Current X.509 certificates are about 64 bytes and rely on elliptic curve signatures and keys vulnerable to #ShorsAlgorithm, while equivalent quantum-resistant material can be roughly 2.5kB, which risks slower handshakes and problems for network middleboxes, as noted by Cloudflare’s @BasWesterbaan. The approach uses #MerkleTrees via #MerkleTreeCertificates, where a CA signs a single tree head covering potentially millions of certificates and the browser receives a compact proof of inclusion instead of a heavy signature chain, aligning with existing certificate #transparency logs. Google is also adding quantum-resistant algorithms such as #ML-DSA so that successful forgery would require breaking both classical and post-quantum cryptography, and is framing this as part of a “quantum-resistant root store” that complements the 2022 Chrome Root Store. Chrome already implements the new system, and Cloudflare is enrolling about 1,000 TLS certificates for testing, aiming to keep transmitted certificate-sized data near the current ~64-byte footprint while preserving assurance that certificates are logged.
32. Spanish solar panels generate electricity from raindrops
Spanish researchers developed #solar panels capable of producing electricity from raindrops, addressing low sunlight conditions. The #hybrid technology combines traditional solar cells with raindrop energy harvesters, enabling power generation during rainfall. Experimental results demonstrate a significant increase in energy output compared to standard panels in wet weather. This innovation enhances #renewable energy reliability, especially in regions with frequent rain. It offers a sustainable solution to improve electricity supply and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, supporting @European Union #climate goals.
34. NASA scraps 2027 Artemis III moon landing in favor of 2028 mission
@NASA administrator @Jared Isaacman said the agency will not attempt a crewed moon landing in 2027, instead reworking #Artemis III to focus on in-orbit tests such as using astronauts’ space suits in microgravity and rendezvousing with at least one spacecraft intended as a lunar lander. The schedule change follows new problems on #Artemis II involving the #Space Launch System (SLS), including helium flow issues, after earlier hydrogen leaks and other delays that pushed a target March launch to a new window opening in early April. NASA now plans to pursue two crewed lunar landings in 2028 through #Artemis IV and #Artemis V, shifting away from the long stated goal of making Artemis III the first lunar landing in more than 50 years. Isaacman argued that standardizing SLS production and increasing launch cadence to roughly once every 10 months would reduce risk compared with multi-year gaps and major vehicle configuration changes. He framed the reshuffle as a way to rebuild NASA’s core competencies and improve the likelihood of mission success on the revised timeline.
35. NASA shakes up leadership of human spaceflight program in wake of critical Starliner report
NASA reshuffled top leadership in its human spaceflight organization shortly after releasing a critical review of how Boeing’s #Starliner first crewed mission was handled. Joel Montalbano became acting associate administrator of the Space Operations Mission Directorate, replacing Ken Bowersox, who is retiring effective March 6, and Dana Hutcherson became acting manager of the #CommercialCrewProgram, replacing Steve Stich, who will remain at NASA advising the #HumanLandingSystem effort. The changes follow findings from a report on Starliner’s June 2024 Crew Flight Test, which experienced thruster failures and other problems, led NASA to return the capsule uncrewed in September 2024, and kept astronauts @Suni Williams and @Butch Wilmore on the ISS for nine months before they returned on a SpaceX Crew Dragon in March 2025. NASA said the review reclassified the flight as a “Type A mishap,” and @Jared Isaacman said the decision should have been made in real time or shortly afterward. The agency framed the leadership moves as strengthening execution of the president’s #NationalSpacePolicy and maintaining U.S. leadership in low Earth orbit while supporting ISS operations and future commercial successors.
36. Six planets due to parade across night sky in rare celestial spectacle
Six planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Mercury, Neptune and Uranus, are set to appear at the same time this weekend in a rare #planetary alignment, with the last two requiring binoculars or a telescope. @Dr Megan Argo explains the display happens because the planets’ differing orbital speeds occasionally place them in roughly the same area of sky from Earth’s perspective, and while seeing four or five is fairly common, six is much rarer. She says the best chance is around 28 February and a few days either side, looking early evening toward the west, where the planets form a curved line, with Venus brightest, Mercury much fainter, and Uranus faint below the #SevenSisters. @Dr Ed Bloomer notes the parade is also visible in the southern hemisphere but appears reversed, and Argo adds practical timing differences for Australia and warns never to look at the sun through binoculars or a telescope. The event is also being marked by #NASA releasing new #sonifications from the Chandra X-ray Observatory for Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus, underscoring the significance of the unusually rich grouping in the night sky.
37. A total lunar eclipse will turn the moon blood red on Tuesday across several continents
A #total lunar eclipse will turn the moon a reddish “blood moon” on Tuesday, and the next one like it will not occur until late 2028. It will be visible Tuesday morning in North America, Central America, and western South America, while Australia and eastern Asia can see it Tuesday night, and only partial stages will be visible from Central Asia and much of South America, with Africa and Europe missing out. The eclipse occurs when the sun, moon, and Earth align so Earth’s shadow covers the full moon, and the moon appears red as sunlight filters through Earth’s atmosphere, with the full event lasting several hours and totality about an hour. Observers need no special equipment, just a clear view of the sky, and can use forecast apps or online celestial calendars to find local timing, checking outside periodically as the shadow moves, as noted by Catherine Miller and Bennett Maruca. The article adds that eclipses cluster due to orbital geometry, this one follows a recent “ring of fire” solar eclipse, and another partial lunar eclipse is expected in August across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and west Asia.
38. NASA lost a lunar spacecraft one day after launch. A new report details what went wrong
A new @NASA review panel report explains why the $72 million Lunar Trailblazer mission to map water on the moon failed one day after launch and was never heard from again. The report says a spacecraft pointing software error aimed the solar panels 180 degrees away from the sun, and it also found many erroneous onboard fault management actions that, together with the pointing error, caused the failure; @NASA released the report after a Freedom of Information Act request. The panel concluded @Lockheed Martin did not properly test the solar panel pointing software before launch, and additional software issues made it difficult at first and ultimately impossible for mission managers to correct the problem. Commentators cited in the story, including Timothy Cook and @Scott Hubbard, describe such outcomes as cascading failures and note that lower cost #ClassD missions accept higher risk, though Hubbard argues that risk was meant to affect science precision rather than total mission loss. Both @NASA and @Lockheed Martin said they learned lessons and are improving #faultManagement, #flightSoftware implementation, and pre launch testing for future lower cost missions while balancing risk acceptance.
That’s all for today’s digest for 2026/02/28! We picked, and processed 28 Articles. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s collection of insights and discoveries.
Thanks, Patricia Zougheib and Dr Badawi, for curating the links
See you in the next one! 🚀
