Entertainment
Watch Bezos’ new super rocket blast its engines. Its about to launch.
In the continuing saga of billionaires and big rockets comes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos with his latest space vehicle, New Glenn.
The rocket, which stands taller than the Statue of Liberty, is named after NASA astronaut John Glenn, the first person to orbit Earth in 1962. Though much shorter than SpaceX‘s towering Starship, it is about the size of NASA’s mega moon rocket, the Space Launch System.
Years in the making, the commercial rocket is on the verge of its maiden flight.
On Friday, while strapped firmly to its launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, New Glenn nailed its final dress rehearsal, firing all seven of its engines for 24 seconds. It was the first time Bezos’ company, Blue Origin, had operated the entire stacked rocket as an integrated system. Flashes from the engines pierced through billows of steam, like cracks of lightning amid storm clouds.
“Next stop launch,” said Bezos in a post on X, the social media platform owned by his space launch competitor, Elon Musk. Despite their rivalry, Musk replied with a wish for godspeed.
A video of the test, called a hot fire, can be watched in the above post. The demonstration involved a complete fueling and practice countdown. New Glenn’s booster runs on methane and liquid oxygen, while the second stage of the rocket, which propels a spacecraft further into space, runs on liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
When all seven booster engines are firing in concert, they produce enough horsepower for two Nimitz-class aircraft carriers at full tilt, said David Limp, Blue Origin’s CEO. For 13 seconds of the hot fire test, New Glenn was operating at 100 percent of its thrust capacity.
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Bezos started Blue Origin in 2000, but its first small rocket, New Shepard, has primarily focused on space tourism, providing short flights for wealthy passengers to the cusp of space and back.
Star Trek actor William Shatner, one of the most familiar space figures in pop culture, became a real space traveler in October 2021.
Credit: PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP via Getty Images
But the company has aspirations to do much more. It’s building a lunar lander for NASA, to be named Blue Moon, that will perform several uncrewed test flights with the New Glenn rocket, before ferrying Artemis V astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface of the moon.
It’s also building a commercial space station, dubbed Orbital Reef. NASA awarded Blue Origin a $130 million contract to build it as the U.S. space agency tries to transition to a new model of space research, wherein businesses own and operate space labs in low-Earth orbit and NASA becomes one of their many customers.
Just prior to Friday’s test, the Federal Aviation Administration issued Blue Origin a launch license for New Glenn, its final administrative approval. Though the company hasn’t yet announced when it will attempt a liftoff, an FAA operational advisory indicates a tentative plan of a launch window opening at 11:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 31, with a backup window at the same time on New Year’s Day.
“Well, all we have left to do is mate our encapsulated payload…and then LAUNCH!” Limp said on X. “Congrats to the many Blue folks on today’s test.”
Blue Origin will attempt to use a sea-based landing platform, named Jacklyn, to save New Glenn boosters.
Credit: Blue Origin
The license allows Blue Origin to launch New Glenn from the Space Force station at Cape Canaveral, as well as land its reusable booster on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean. That sea-based landing platform, named Jacklyn, is one of the largest remotely operated vessels in the world. The company hopes to be able to reuse a single booster at least 25 times. Reusability is an important facet of the burgeoning commercial space industry, significantly lowering the cost per launch.
Blue Origin wanted to get to this point months ago. The inaugural flight was slated for October, which would have included two Mars orbiters built by Rocket Lab for NASA. Had New Glenn launched then, the twin spacecraft would have taken advantage of the planetary alignment that shortens the travel time to the Red Planet, an average of 140 million miles away from Earth.
NASA and Blue Origin are now in talks for a potential launch for that mission, known as Escapade, no earlier than spring 2025.
Entertainment
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
Mother figures are the backbone of the world. Yours may be your biological mother, or maybe she’s your mother-in-law, your best friend’s mom, or simply someone whose motherly instinct has helped you through hard times.
Moms teach you the adulting necessities, give advice even if the problem is your fault, and above all, they put up with your shit and (almost) never complain.
The game plan here isn’t just to snag the last bouquet at CVS just so you’re not the kid who forgot Mother’s Day (but definitely also get flowers). And you don’t even need to spend a lot of money. (Peep our list of Mother’s Day gifts that cost less than $50. Want even more cheap gift ideas?
Skip the generic mugs and show your appreciation with a gift picked just for her: Whether it’s something to make a part of her life easier, something she’s mentioned wanting in passing, or simply something to make her feel like a damn queen, you can’t put a price on everything she’s done for you, but heartfelt gifts certainly help.
After all, they say “No matter how hard you try, you always end up like your mother.” But is that even a bad thing?
Entertainment
Ban subscriptions and get Microsoft Office 2024 for life for just £121
TL;DR: Grab Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for PC or Mac for just £120.54 through June 1.
You wouldn’t keep paying for Netflix if you could own your favorite shows, right? So why are you still subscribing to Office apps you use every day? Microsoft 365’s price keeps going up, but there’s finally a way to break free — and it’ll cost you way less in the long run.
Microsoft Office 2024 is the answer you’ve been looking for. Instead of monthly payments, simply pay £120.54 once and be set for life (reg. £188.37). It’s that simple. And, yes, this lifetime download works for PC or Mac.
What’s included?
This license comes with:
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Word
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Excel
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PowerPoint
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Outlook
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OneNote
The newest version of Microsoft Office is a little different from Microsoft 365. But just because you’re switching to a lifetime license doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on some of the most recent updates. Word and Excel both still have AI integrations for text suggestions and smart data analysis, and PowerPoint still has improved tools for recorded presentations.
Once you’ve redeemed your purchase, you can install your apps on one computer. After that, they’re yours to use however you want. No more subscription fees or sudden price hikes to worry about.
Why rent when you can own?
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Get a Microsoft Office lifetime license on sale for £120.54 with no coupon needed.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 9, 2025
Oh hey there! If you’re here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we’re serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today’s answer.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Gibberish.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
TRIPE.
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
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Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
