TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
May 23, 2026
Messier 2
After the Crab Nebula, this giant star cluster is the second entry in 18th century astronomer Charles Messier's famous list of things that are not comets. M2 is one of the largest globular star clusters now known to roam the halo of our Milky Way galaxy. Though Messier originally described it as a nebula without stars, this stunning Hubble image resolves stars across the cluster's central 40 light-years. Its population of stars numbers close to 150,000, concentrated within a total diameter of around 175 light-years. About 55,000 light-years distant toward the constellation Aquarius, this ancient denizen of the Milky Way, also known as NGC 7089, is 13 billion years old. An extended stellar debris stream, a signature of past gravitational tidal disruption, was recently found to be associated with Messier 2.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZcwi27Ze58
Huge Sunspot, Earth is Weak, Sun is Glitching | S0 News frens
May.23.2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmtTwRfii4o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJDZ9jGf4Ec (EarthMaster: Major Earthquake Alert. 6.0 Earthquake Hawaii. Early Saturday Morning report/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i2kbnpUYBY (Stefan Burns: This Eruption Could Become a Geologic Disaster Overnight…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwy_0tWREUA (MrMBB333: CAUGHT on camera above Central AFRICA!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXI5wmnJPvY (Sen4K: Relaxing 4K Earth Views From the ISS 🚀 | SpaceX CRS-34, Canadarm & City Lights)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cWnFfDV26I (John Michael Godier: The Actual Real Life Star Systems of Science Fiction)
https://abc7.com/post/60-magnitude-earthquake-detected-off-hawaii-coast/19156273/
https://www.astronomy.com/today-in-the-history-of-astronomy/may-23-1967-a-solar-flare-jams-missile-detectors/
https://www.space.com/stargazing/auroras/an-ancient-solar-storm-left-clues-in-tree-rings-and-a-famous-poets-diary-red-lights-in-the-northern-sky
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/fire-tornado-erupts-during-wildfire-052948534.html
https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/storm-chaser-reed-timmer-tornado-video/
https://meteoagent.com/schumann-resonance-forecast
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes-volcanoes/news.html
https://www.tornadohq.com/
https://www.tornadohq.com/live/
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/
https://spaceweather.com/
last image fix
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-jupiter-region-forged-meteorite-parent.html
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ae6104
extra space objects
https://www.amsmeteors.org/2026/05/meteor-activity-outlook-for-may-23-29-2026/
Just outside Jupiter, one region may have forged six meteorite parent bodies
May 22, 2026
When the solar system formed, a disk of gas and dust orbited the young sun. Over the course of millions of years, the dust gradually clumped together to form kilometer-sized chunks known as planetesimals.
Some grew into planets, while the rest are considered to be the precursors of today's asteroids. Researchers assume that this development did not proceed in a linear fashion, with different stages of planetesimal development occurring simultaneously, and not every region of the disk offering favorable "starting conditions" for planetesimals.
In their current study, published today in the journal The Astrophysical Journal, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany identify the ring-shaped region just outside Jupiter's orbit as not only an efficient, but also a "pluripotent" planetesimal breeding ground.
Computer simulations show for the first time that over the course of two million years, planetesimals with very different compositions formed there.
"Different types of planetesimals apparently formed in the same region of the early dust and gas disk, only at different times. The region just outside Jupiter's orbit offered excellent conditions for this," said Joanna Dr.ążkowska, head of the Lise Meitner Group on planet formation.
The researchers focused specifically on the period between approximately two and four million years after the birth of the solar system. By this time, Jupiter had already accreted all the matter in its vicinity, carving a gap in the gas and dust disk along its orbit.
According to the current understanding, a ring-shaped region of elevated gas pressure formed just outside its orbit. This led to the accumulation of so much dust, that it coalesced into small clumps of matter, known as pebbles.
It was already known that pebbles could grow into planetesimals in such a dust trap at a very early stage. However, it was unclear whether, over long periods of time, this process could produce bodies with very different compositions.
The new study shows that diverse populations of planetesimals can form in dust traps over millions of years. The results thus establish a connection to specific groups of meteorites for the first time.
"For the first time, we have succeeded in accurately reproducing the results of laboratory studies of meteorites using computer simulations of the early solar system.
The meteorites serve, so to speak, as a touchstone for theories of planetary formation," said MPS Director and cosmochemist Thorsten Kleine.
Meteorites are chunks of rock from space that have crashed onto Earth. Most of them are fragments of planetesimals and have hardly changed since they formed.
Carbonaceous chondrites, stony meteorites that are particularly rich in carbon, are likely to have formed outside Jupiter's orbit precisely during the simulated time period, as laboratory studies suggest.
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Based on age and composition, researchers distinguish six groups of carbonaceous chondrites. While some consist almost exclusively of fine-grained material and crumble apart at the slightest touch, others are significantly more robust.
Embedded in the fine-grained material, they contain inclusions that are visible to the naked eye in varying proportions.
In their simulations, the researchers were able to reproduce the age and composition of the six groups of carbonaceous chondrites.
In the calculations, the fine-grained material and the inclusions correspond to two types of material that existed in the early solar system: fragile, crumbly dust and small clumps of more stable material.
The latter had formed at the beginning of the solar system in some places under the influence of heat and then dispersed.
"For our simulations, it was crucial to model the behavior and interaction of both materials on both small and large scales," said Nerea Gurrutxaga, Ph.D. student at the MPS and first author of the paper.
The models therefore take into account the collisions of individual particles (and, as a result, their breaking apart or sticking together) as well as their movements and concentrations within the entire, vast gas disk.
For example, both types of particles are drawn from the outer solar system toward the sun, albeit at different speeds. Jupiter's orbit acts as a more effective barrier for the larger, more stable particles than for the smaller dust.
The formation of the first planetesimals also consumes some of the available material.
Over time, as a result of all these effects, both types of matter accumulate in varying proportions in the region outside Jupiter's orbit, thus creating the conditions for the formation of clearly distinguishable generations of planetesimals.
In the first 500,000 years, the proportion of crumbly material initially decreases, only to increase over the next million years.
Thereafter, two distinct populations of planetesimals emerge, consisting either almost exclusively of crumbly material or stable material.
Based on their calculations, the researchers believe that, at an earlier stage, meteorite types other than carbonaceous chondrites may also have formed in the dust trap beyond Jupiter.
"There is strong evidence that dust traps were the preferred birthplace of planetesimals in our solar system," says Dr.ążkowska.
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It ain't all NASA, but that's all they complain about
Benny just dropped this
Trump Just CANCELED His Schedule, Locked Himself Into The White House | Something BIG Is Happening…
May 23, 2026
This could get bad…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48zuhWx1F2s
NASA Sets Coverage for Roscosmos Spacewalk Outside Space Station
May 22, 2026
NASA will provide live coverage on Wednesday, May 27, as two Roscosmos cosmonauts conduct a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:15 a.m. EDT and last roughly five hours.
Watch NASA’s live coverage beginning at 9:45 a.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.
International Space Station Expedition 74 commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Sergei Mikaev will install a solar radiation experiment on the Zvezda service module and remove other science hardware from the Poisk and Nauka modules of the orbiting complex’s Roscosmos segment.
If time allows, the duo also will photograph one of the Progress 94 cargo spacecraft’s Kurs rendezvous antennas, which failed to deploy in March following its launch to the space station.
This Roscosmos spacewalk will be the second for Kud-Sverchkov and the first for Mikaev. Kud-Sverchkov will wear a spacesuit with red stripes, and Mikaev will wear a spacesuit with blue stripes.
It will be the 279th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-sets-coverage-for-roscosmos-spacewalk-outside-space-station-2/
extra NASA and space
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/05/22/cancer-treatment-cartilage-repair-and-spacesuit-checks-wrap-up-week/
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/armstrong/keeping-nasa-flying-ground-crews-ensure-aircraft-readiness/
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/shakeup-at-jpl-control-over-iconic-nasa-center-could-change-for-1st-time-in-nearly-100-years
https://www.space.com/stargazing/massive-x-and-v-shapes-will-appear-on-the-moon-tonight-heres-how-to-see-them
Webb Studies Star Clusters
May 22, 2026
This near-infrared image released on May 6, 2026, shows a section of one of the spiral arms of Messier 51 (M51).
M51 is one of four nearby galaxies observed by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in a study of nearly 9,000 star clusters.
Data from the study shows that more massive star clusters emerge more quickly from the clouds they are born in.
Learning about star formation helps us understand galactic evolution, the dynamics within a galaxy, as well as how and where planets form.
See what scientists learned.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/webb-studies-star-clusters/
https://esawebb.org/news/weic2608/
extra extra NASA and a side of Blue Origin
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/quesst/2026/05/22/nasas-x-59-undergoes-scheduled-maintenance/
https://science.nasa.gov/citizen-science/galaxy-zoo-clump-scout-ii/
https://www.nasa.gov/people/glenn-jamison/
https://www.techbuzz.ai/articles/blue-origin-cleared-to-fly-new-glenn-mega-rocket-after-april-mishap
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-starship-v3-megarocket-first-test-flight
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-starship-flight-12-dont-miss-these-stunning-photos-from-the-launch-of-the-most-powerful-starship-yet
https://twitter.com/NASAAdmin/status/2057975208149946613
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiWX1nsvqBs
SpaceX just launched Starship V3 — its most powerful megarocket yet — into space for the 1st time in spectacular Flight 12 test
May 22, 2026
The most powerful rocket in history just roared off its launch pad in a spectacular show of power and technology.
SpaceX launched the newest version of its giant Starship rocket Friday (May 22), from a recently completed second pad at its Starbase manufacturing and test facility in South Texas.
Liftoff occurred at 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT), sending the massive 408-foot-tall (124-meter) vehicle skyward on its 12th suborbital test flight.
It was the first Starship mission since October 2025, and the first-ever flight of Starship Version 3 (V3), a next-generation build of the rocket that features a complete design overhaul meant to evolve the vehicle toward operational missions.
And today's suborbital Flight 12 was a significant step toward that ambitious goal, even if it was a day later than planned after a glitched thwarted a first launch try on Thursday.
"Congratulations SpaceX team on an epic first Starship V3 launch & landing!," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X after the launch. "You scored a goal for humanity."
There were some hiccups.
During liftoff, one of the 33 first-stage Raptor engines on Super Heavy shut down, and the booster missed a critical "boost back" manuever to control its return to Earth.
Starship's Ship 39 upper stage also lost one of its six main engines during ascent, but managed to reach space on the remaining five.
"I wouldn't call it nominal orbital insertion, but we're in on a trajectory that we had analyzed, and it's within bounds," SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot said in live commentary.
"So, teams continuing to work through it with that engine out there, working some through some steps on the engines."
Starship consists of a first-stage booster called Super Heavy and an upper stage known as Starship, or simply Ship.
The first notable event after the rocket cleared the tower this evening occurred about 2 minutes and 20 seconds into flight, when Super Heavy initiated "hot staging" and separation from Ship.
(It's known as hot staging because Ship begins firing its engines before separating from Super Heavy.)
Unlike its V2 predecessor, which featured an interstage ring that fell away at separation, Starship V3 is built with similar hardware secured to the top of the booster, like a fence around the fuel tank's dome to give some breathing room to the upper stage engines' ignition and initial thrust away from the booster.
After stage separation, Super Heavy reoriented and attempted to perform a one-minute boostback burn toward Starbase. However, something went wrong and the burn didn't go as planned, Huot said.
SpaceX has performed booster recoveries at Starbase on previous Starship missions, catching the rocket's first stage using mechanical "chopstick" arms attached to the site's launch towers.
On Flight 12, however, the company planed to return Super Heavy a soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico rather than risk a recovery mishap that could damage the pad on the first flight of brand-new hardware.
Instead, the massive Super Heavy booster plummeted back to Earth and crashed into the Gulf, beaming live views of its fall from space until the screen went black.
"The booster didn't complete its full boost back," Huot said just after lifotff. "Its mission ended a little bit early, but landed in the clear area that we had set in advance."
SpaceX included 22 payloads for Ship to deploy during its suborbital jaunt today — 20 dummy versions of the company's Starlink broadband satellites and two actual Starlink spacecraft equipped with imaging sensors.
The payloads were deployed as planned over a 10-minute span, beginning roughly 17 minutes after launch, via Ship's "PEZ dispenser"-like door.
The two modified Starlink satellites were tasked with scanning Starship's heat shield tiles, in a test meant to assess the ability to inspect them for possible damage prior to reentry.
Shortly after the final two Starlink simulators deployed (the ones with cameras that SpaceX nicknamed "Dodger Dogs" after the famed hotdogs at Dodger Stadium), SpaceX broadcast the spectactular video they captured as they flew away from Starship.
"That is a Starship in space," Huot said.
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SpaceX initially planned for the Ship 39 upper stage to perform an in-space relight of one of its six Raptor engines in orbit— an important demonstration to prove the spacecraft can reliably execute maneuvers, as mixing and managing cryogenic fuels and reigniting an engine in zero-g is necessary to alter Ship's orbit, send it on to the moon or Mars, and bring it back to Earth for recovery and reuse.
But because of the lost Raptor engine during launch, flight controllers skipped that test for Flight 12.
And so, the first Starship V3 spacecraft began its descent to Earth.
Ship began its reentry to Earth's atmosphere about 50 minutes into the flight, falling as its belly became engulfed in a bright plasma.
During its descent, Ship 39 performed a series of exercises designed to stress parts of the vehicle to their structural limit. It also executed a novel banking maneuver for its landing burn meant to mimic the trajectory and orientation needed for a launch tower catch on a return to Starbase.
Huge cheers rang out at SpaceX's headquareters and Starbase facilities as the Ship 39 ignited two engines for a final landing burn.
The manuever initially called for three engines, but that one shut down early at liftoff. After the landing, Starship toppled over into the ocean waters and exploded in a magnificent fireball (again, as planned) as SpaceX workers cheered.
Nothing Starship accomplished on Flight 12 was particularly groundbreaking for SpaceX; the mission goals and trajectories were broadly similar to those of the previous few test missions.
As if to drive that fact home, NASA chief Jared Isaacman flew to Starbase to watch the launch personally.
"We're looking forward to seeing this thing fly, because hopefully at some point in the not too distant future we're gonna, we're gonna join up in an earth orbit," Isaacman said during the live comentary.
After the launch, Isaacman hailed the work of SpaceX's Starship team.
"Congrats SpaceX team and Elon Musk on a hell of a V3 Starship launch," Isaacman wrote on X. "One step closer to the Moon … one step closer to Mars."
Starship has a number of boxes to check before NASA certifies the vehicle to fly astronauts, but V3 has been built with those goalposts in mind.
The new Starship V3 vehicle includes four passive connection ports on its back, or leeward, side (opposite the heat tiles on its belly), which are designed for docking and ship-to-ship fuel transfers.
In order to fly beyond LEO, Starship requires the assistance of additional Ships to meet up in orbit to top off its fuel tanks.
This is especially important for its use as the Artemis moon lander; experts have estimated that each lunar Starship mission could require a dozen or more refueling launches to adequately supply enough propellant to get to the moon, land and launch back to lunar orbit.
Ship has yet to demonstrate in-space refueling, or even a launch that fully reaches Earth orbit. And there are other boxes it needs to tick as well.
For example, NASA is requiring both Starship and Blue Moon to demonstrate uncrewed lunar landings before they fly astronauts down to the lunar surface, putting SpaceX and Blue Origin on a short timeline to ready vehicles for the planned Artemis 4 landing in 2028.
Starship's launch today helps put it back on track toward meeting that goal, but SpaceX will have to pick up its launch cadence significantly.
Just over a year ago, in March 2025, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk posted on X that he expected to be launching V3 at a "rate of once a week in [about] 12 months."
While that cadence still seems a long way off at Starship's current state of development, the success of Flight 12 bodes well for the near future.
And hopefully the near future features another Starship launch — a giant rocket getting off the ground in a matter of weeks, versus the seven months that separated today’s mission from the previous test flight.
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https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2026/05/space-force-needs-prepare-person-moon-conflict-china-new-report-argues/413747/?oref=d1-featured-river-top
extra Space Force
https://www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4499687/vandenberg-hosts-space-systems-command-cyber-expo-2026/
https://wkuherald.com/93736/news/space-force-launches-new-planetarium-film/
https://www.lagalaxy.com/news/united-states-space-force-master-sergeant-nellie-black-is-our-hero-of-the-match-may-23-2026
Space Force needs to prepare for an ‘in-person’ moon conflict with China, new report argues
May 23, 2026 08:00 AM ET
The Space Force should prepare to put active-duty troops on the moon and on space stations to counter China’s lunar and military ambitions, a new research paper argues.
The Mitchell Institute’s paper, published Thursday, calls for the Space Force to prioritize the creation of a “human spaceflight” program and redefine federal, active-duty Title 10 orders to compete against China’s military-focused space initiatives—such as the reported goal of putting its Taikonauts on the moon by 2030. Although Chinese officials as recently as last month have said the country believes in the “peaceful use” of space, the paper claims future “competition for control of lunar resources and territory will likely reach a tipping point” and the U.S. military must be prepared.
“With a potential ‘in person’ lunar conflict with China as the contextual touchstone, the U.S. must begin a pragmatic multi-decade effort, leveraging its Space Test Course (STC), as well as partnerships with NASA and commercial space companies, to deliver the skills, tools, and concepts needed for future Title 10 activities to enforce U.S. spacepower-enabling norms and standards,” the report said.
“These efforts will require additional funding from Congress for both U.S. Space Force human spaceflight opportunities and residencies at commercial space stations.”
The 22-page policy report calls for blurring the long-standing boundaries between space exploration and militarized operations by allowing Title 10 active-duty federal orders to include “space and lunar habitation” and “warfighting authorities and a national defense mindset in the advancement of human spaceflight.”
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which the U.S. and China are parties to, calls for the governments to use the moon and other planets for “peaceful purposes” and forbids military bases, testing, and maneuvers.
Kyle Pumroy, a retired Space Force colonel and the paper’s author, called for pushing back against those norms.
“Although The 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST) prohibits claims of lunar sovereignty and militarizing the moon, China’s habitation plans are closely aligned with their military and are inconsistent with the provisions,” the report said.
“Moreover, China’s record of territorial aggression and ignoring treaty agreements must drive a strategic vision unconstrained by the OST. While upholding the OST should be the United States’ desire and priority, pragmatically, it must prepare otherwise.”
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Pumory said during a webinar Wednesday that guardians on the moon wouldn’t be “necessarily a violation of outer space treaty” if they weren’t conducting maneuvers, but he also recognized that the treaty would need to be updated.
“I think at that point, once we have military members on the moon. Again, the treaty would need to be updated, because if one side does it and we say ‘well, you're violating the treaty, and we're not going to do that’ we're just setting ourselves up for disappointment,” Pumroy said. “So I don't think it's a violation to send them there, but whether we're violating the Outer Space Treaty or not is an important fact, but the greater need is for a modernized Outer Space Treaty that appreciates a lunar economy and mining resources from the moon, and mining ice from the moon, and using the moon as a launch pad to get to Mars and other locations.”
Victoria Samson, the Secure World Foundation’s chief director of space security and stability, said the Mitchell Institute’s report is an example of how the norms of space exploration and militarized operations are being challenged.
“It used to almost be a separation of church and state between the two,” Samson said. “Now, that line is being blurred, and I think it’s more a matter of, we have an administration that is supportive of a very active and expanding Space Force.”
The Mitchell Institute teased the idea of putting guardians in space last year.
In a report titled “A Broader Look at Dynamic Space Operations,” the authors pitched the idea of putting troops on critical Space Force assets, to raise the stakes if an enemy decides to strike and to allow for flexibility and responsiveness in high-stakes situations.
The Space Force hasn’t sent any of its uniformed personnel into space for active-duty operations, but it has loaned its officers to NASA’s exploration missions.
In 2020, astronaut Mike Hopkins transferred from the Air Force into the Space Force while aboard the International Space Station. In 2024, Space Force Col. Nick Hague commanded NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, which lasted 171 days.
He was the first active-duty guardian to ever launch into space.
The report also calls for Congress to fund future commercial space station residencies, or even the purchase of “a Space Force-dedicated space station” in future national defense authorization act legislation to help build guardian training and skills on orbit.
“Space station-based operations provide Guardians a trailblazing opportunity for the realistic testing and experimentation of future military concepts,” the report said.
“Nothing compares to in-domain, first-hand experience to inform the development of future military requirements. Furthermore, taking this decisive step will send a strong message about the commitment of the United States to maintain space superiority.”
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China to launch Shenzhou-23 crewed mission to space station on May 24
09:05, 23-May-2026
Updated 13:47, 23-May-2026
The Shenzhou-23 crewed spacecraft is scheduled for launch at 11:08 p.m. Sunday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, the China Manned Space Agency announced on Saturday.
The Shenzhou-23 mission marks the seventh crewed spaceflight during the application and development phase of China's space station and the 40th flight of the country's crewed space program.
The crew's main objectives include in-orbit rotation with the Shenzhou-21 crew, space science and application experiments, extravehicular activities and cargo transfers, installation of debris protection devices, installation and retrieval of external payloads and equipment, science education and public welfare activities and space payload tests.
One crew member will carry out a year-long in-orbit residency experiment.
After entering orbit, the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft will conduct a fast automated rendezvous and docking with the radial port of the Tianhe core module, forming a combination of three spacecraft and three modules.
After completing the in-orbit handover with the Shenzhou-23 crew, the Shenzhou-21 crew will return to the Dongfeng Landing Site in northwest China.
Having spent 203 days in orbit, they are expected to set a new record for the longest stay of a Chinese crew in space. Currently, all work is progressing smoothly and all three crew members are in good condition.
Over 100 new application projects
The Shenzhou-23 crew will run over 100 new scientific and application projects across fields such as space life science, space materials science, microgravity fluid physics, aerospace medicine, and new aerospace technologies, focusing on in-depth research and verification.
Space life science projects will use zebrafish embryos, mouse embryos, and "artificial embryos" grown from stem cells to establish a space embryology research system, from lower vertebrates to higher mammals, advancing systematic studies on scientific questions related to space life cultivation.
Conducting space materials science, the crew will study space-based fabrication and performance regulation of advanced materials, and the development of new materials such as high-performance rare-earth permanent magnetic alloys and lightweight high-entropy alloys.
In-orbit verification of new types of space energy storage batteries are expected to accelerate aerospace advancements that will support future upgrades to space station capabilities.
One-year space stay
With the one-year in-orbit residency experiment, China is pioneering its first space human research program.
This will enable the collection of crucial data on astronauts exposed to long-duration spaceflight environments and ultimately enrich mission implementation experience.
The stay will also verify the health support capacity for long-term missions and improve the in-orbit medical and protection system.
It will provide an extended opportunity for continuous scientific research and technologies validation.
Pakistani astronauts in training
Two Pakistani astronauts have been training alongside Chinese astronauts.
As planned, one of them will serve as a payload specialist on a short-term space mission.
They are currently undergoing basic training and spaceflight professional technical training in accordance with the program, with a focus on practical operation skills to ensure mission readiness.
They will also get Chinese language lessons with the curriculum focusing on basic language skills as well as specialized command vocabulary required to perform flight missions.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-05-23/China-to-launch-Shenzhou-23-crewed-spaceship-on-May-24-1Nn49DFWuuA/p.html
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-05-23/China-unveils-Shenzhou-23-crew-for-space-station-mission-1Nn4SVu0MOA/p.html
https://www.bastillepost.com/global/article/5878034-shenzhou-23-to-grow-second-generation-space-faring-rice-seeds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG-3LNesMF8
We see nothing: How has the West reacted to the Ukrainian strike on a Russian school dorm?
23 May, 2026 16:13
At least 18 people have been killed and dozens more wounded – most of them students – in a Ukrainian drone raid on a school dormitory in Starobelsk in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic on Friday.
As of Saturday afternoon, search-and-rescue operations are still underway, with local officials reporting additional Ukrainian drone attacks aimed at derailing the efforts.
President Vladimir Putin called the raid a “terrorist attack by the neo-Nazi regime,” adding that he ordered the military to prepare retaliation.
Following the attack, Russia requested an emergency UN Security Council session.
However, despite ample evidence and videos from the scene, Western countries have cast doubt on Russia’s account, demanding “an independent investigation” and claiming that the tragedy took place on “occupied territory.”
Lugansk, along with three other former Ukrainian regions, overwhelmingly voted in favor of joining Russia in 2022 in a referendum that Ukraine and its Western backers have refused to recognize.
Here’s how Russia, the West, and Ukraine sparred at the UN Security Council.
What did Russia say about the Starobelsk attack?
Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, led the charge at the Security Council, calling the Ukrainian strike an unambiguous war crime. He called the raid “a deliberate strike” conducted “with the aim of incurring the highest possible number of casualties.”
Nebenzia said the “European [countries’] cynicism has gone off the charts,” as none of them bothered to mention the dead students in Starobelsk. The West’s reaction “cannot be even called hypocrisy or double standards” – it is “blatant mockery of child victims,” he said.
Nebenzia added that he feels “somewhat embarrassed and ashamed” over the Western diplomats’ reluctance to acknowledged the facts.
How did the West respond?
The most contemptuous response came from Latvia, which immediately dismissed Russia’s account out of hand. Its envoy called Russia “imperialist” and said independent media and experts are required.
Denmark has accused Russia of failing to provide “unfettered access for credible independent journalists or international humanitarian organizations” to the site – despite Moscow’s invitation to Western journalists to see the site for themselves.
The UK and France also urged an independent investigation. The US envoy said Washington is “following the reports of those killed and wounded in Lugansk overnight,” adding that “many questions concerning this attack remain outstanding.”
What did Ukraine say about the Starobelsk attack?
Kiev’s envoy called the session “a shameless attempt by the Russian Federation to turn reality upside down,” dismissing all statements on Starobelsk as an attempt to “manipulate international public opinion” and as “pure propaganda.”
Unlike Kiev’s Western backers, the Ukrainian envoy did not call for an independent investigation, saying the truth cannot be established until the former Ukrainian territory is “liberated.”
Has Russia invited Western journalists?
Yes. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced on Saturday that Moscow is extending an official invitation to foreign journalists to visit the site.
She later said the BBC declined to send a reporter, while CNN is apparently “on vacation.” She added that Japan barred its journalists from covering the tragedy.
According to Zakharova, however, many foreign reporters have signaled that they are willing to go to Starobelsk.
The Bottom line
Compelling evidence has not convinced Western countries – which have spent hundreds of billions of dollars to support Kiev in the conflict with Russia – to hold Ukraine accountable.
Speaking to RT, Aleksandr Bobrov, an associate professor at MGIMO, Russia’s leading international affairs university, said the West’s response to the Starobelsk tragedy should not be taken “too literally” – describing it as a “theater” in which each diplomat simply delivers their country’s official line.
He argued that Starobelsk is becoming “a very painful subject” for Ukraine and its European backers – one that could eventually become synonymous with “Ukrainian aggression.”
As a result, Bobrov said Western diplomats resorted to “absolutely clumsy statements” designed to shift attention away from the attack to unrelated matters.
“I believe that Russian diplomacy will have to convey the voice of truth at every level – not only at the United Nations, but also at the OSCE and other international platforms – so that all those responsible are appropriately punished,” he said.
https://www.rt.com/news/640481-russian-school-dorm-ukraine-strike-west-reaction/
extra RT
https://www.rt.com/russia/640484-latvia-lake-drone-crash/
https://www.rt.com/news/640468-nato-must-show-teeth-russia-pavel/
astronauts with frickin' lasers
Last night, Moscow was again massively attacked by drones - mayor of russian capital Sobyanin
23 May 2026, Saturday, 15:34
Main points
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported on a nighttime drone attack on the city.
According to him, the attack lasted from 10:43 pm to 00:21 am.
During this time, at least 10 drones were destroyed.
On the night of May 23, "good" drones visited Moscow. Air defense was trying to work there, which allegedly shot down something.
This was reported by Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.
According to Sobyanin, there were several waves of attacks on the Moscow Oblast during the night.
In total, at least a dozen UAVs were flying. First, two drones were allegedly shot down, then two, three, one and two more.
According to the Moscow mayor, the attack lasted from 10:43 pm to 00:21 am. Emergency services were immediately sent to the places where the debris fell. They traditionally keep quiet about casualties or destruction.
By the way, as Ukrainian News Agency reported, on the night of May 17, the Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out the largest attack on Moscow and the region since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Then they managed to hit the Moscow Oil Refinery, the Solnechnogorskaya oil depot, and several microelectronics factories.
https://ukranews.com/en/news/1153594-last-night-moscow-was-again-massively-attacked-by-drones-mayor-of-russian-capital-sobyanin
Other Russia and Ukraine
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/05/23/ukrainian-drone-attack-sparks-fire-at-russian-oil-depot-a92826
https://kyivindependent.com/fire-at-novorossiysk-fuel-terminal-amid-ukrainian-drone-attack-russian-authorities-say/
https://kyivindependent.com/russian-attacks-kill-5-injure-62-across-ukraine-as-kherson-drone-strikes-leave-dozens-wounded/
https://kyivindependent.com/russian-drone-attacks-funeral-procession-in-sumy-killing-a-man-and-injuring-others-authorities-say/
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6396360327112
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/2026-05-23/live-updates-897039
other Israel
https://report.az/en/other-countries/hezbollah-underground-weapons-production-site-targeted-in-lebanon-s-beqaa-idf-says
https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/idf-kills-five-hezbollah-terrorists-as-lebanon-clashes-continue
Live Updates: Trump says there are 50/50 chances of signing deal as US, Iran reportedly near ceasefire extension
May 23, 2026
May 23, 7:40 PM
Trump to hold talks with Gulf, regional leaders on Saturday, Arab official says
US President Donald Trump will hold a phone call on Saturday with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan, an Arab official told Reuters.
May 23, 6:44 PM
US President Trump tells Axios there is '50/50 chance' of reaching Iran deal or resuming war
There is a "50/50 chance" the US signs a deal with Iran or resumes the war, US President Donald Trump told Axios on Saturday prior to a meeting with his aides.
Sources close to the president said he will meet with the security cabinet on Saturday and will likely decide as soon as Sunday whether to sign the deal or resume the war.
May 23, 5:56 PM
US, Iran close to agreeing on 60-day extension of ceasefire, gradual reopening of Hormuz - report
The Strait of Hormuz has been a key issue raised by both the US and Iran after each country imposed closures and blockades of the waterway.
The United States and Iran are on the verge of agreeing to a 60-day extension of the current ceasefire agreement, during which most issues that arose during the negotiations would be addressed, The Financial Times reported on Saturday.
The report notes that the terms of this deal would include the gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a key issue raised by both the US and Iran after each country imposed closures and blockades of the waterway.
May 23, 5:46 PM
Suspicious aerial target falls near Shlomi, IDF says
A suspicious aerial target fell in the area of Shlomi in northern Israel a short while ago, the IDF said on Saturday afternoon.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
Several drone incidents were reported across northern Israel throughout the day.
The military said the circumstances of the fall are being examined.
May 23, 5:11 PM
Rubio says progress made on Iran
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that some progress has been made on Washington's dispute with Iran and that the US might have "something to say" on the issue in the coming days.
"There's been some progress done, some progress made, even as I speak to you now, there's some work being done. There is a chance that, whether it's later today, tomorrow, in a couple days, we may have something to say," Rubio told reporters during his visit to New Delhi.
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May 23, 4:42 PM
Hezbollah says Iran has promised to keep up support
Hezbollah said on Saturday it had received a message from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying Iran would not drop its support for the terror group.
In a statement, Hezbollah added that Tehran's latest proposal, submitted through Pakistani mediation to end the Iran war, reaffirmed its demand that Lebanon be included in any ceasefire agreement.
May 23, 4:42 PM
Iran's FM spokesperson says US, Iran 'very far yet close' to reaching agreement - State TV
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Iran's State TV on Saturday that the US and Iran are "very far yet close [to reach an agreement], but US officials keep changing their positions.
The spokesperson explained that Iran's main priority is to end the war, something that would include ending the fighting in Lebanon, while an important issue is ending the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The issue of the Strait, according to the spokesperson, has "nothing to do with America," describing it as a matter between Iran and the Gulf States.
May 23, 4:32 PM
Trump shares picture implying Iran will become part of US
US President Donald Trump shared an image on Saturday showing a map that depicted Iran as part of the United States, as negotiations with the Islamic regime reach a key point.
Trump has already posted similar images in Truth Social, implying that Iran will become part of the United States when the conflict ends.
May 23, 3:57 PM
Netanyahu 'sidelined' by Trump, has little control over Iran decisions - report
Citing two unnamed Israeli defense officials, the NYT said that Israel is "almost entirely out of the loop" in talks between the United States and Iran.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu is being "sidelined" by US President Donald Trump regarding Iran, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
Citing two unnamed Israeli defense officials, the NYT said that Israel is "almost entirely out of the loop" in talks between the United States and Iran.
According to the officials, Israel has been forced to use other roundabout avenues to seek information on the peace talks, including other diplomatic connections and intelligence sources within Iran.
May 23, 3:32 PM
Pakistan Army chief leaves Iran after meetings with Araghchi, Ghalibaf
Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir left Tehran on Saturday after another round of talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Iran's top negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Ghalibaf told Munir that Iran's armed forces had rebuilt their capabilities during the ceasefire and that if the US "foolishly restarts the war," the consequences would be "more crushing and bitter."
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https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/ufo/ufo-videos-second-files-coulthart-loeb-elizondo/
https://www.newsnationnow.com/video/latest-ufo-file-dump-%E2%80%98barely-scratches-surface%E2%80%99-of-evidence-filmmaker-elizabeth-vargas-reports/11819274/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POD4iAL4teM (Ross Coulthart LIVE: UFO Files (2nd Drop) Analysis and Reaction)
extra UFO Files
https://www.askapoluaps.com/p/ufo-files-v-msm-47-headlines-reacting
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1403540-new-us-ufo-files-prompt-deep-state-classic-claim-from-rep-tim-burchettheres-why
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6396400908112 (We’re focused on getting UFO whistleblower protections, Rep Anna Paulina Luna says)
https://poprant.indiatimes.com/trending/is-superman-real-pentagon-uap-footage-shows-humanoid-figure-matching-the-viral-2015-sequoia-park-ufo-sighting-sparks-wild-conspiracy-theories/articleshow/131282585.html
https://www.dvidshub.net/search/2.0?type=video&unit=All+Domain+Anomaly+Resolution+Office
https://x.com/theblackvault/status/2057800997012197428
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55GEQyzZWgE (Eyes On Cinema: U.S. Department of War - UFO / UAP Videos - Complete May 2026 Disclosure Batch)
UFO videos show ‘we’re not the apex predator anymore’: Ross Coulthart
Updated: May 23, 2026 / 10:28 AM CDT
(NewsNation) — UAP analysts agree the Trump administration’s latest release of UFO files is superior to the first, but they also hope the federal government transforms its culture regarding how it deals with “unidentified anomalous phenomena.”
The Pentagon on Friday unveiled dozens of UFO-related documents, including several military videos of moving objects that appear to defy conventional mechanics.
The latest file dump follows President Trump’s promise earlier this year to declassify information about UAPs within government agencies.
“I think it’s fantastic that the administration is delivering on this promise. I think you have in this second tranche a treasure trove of data,” Luis Elizondo, a former Pentagon insider-turned-UFO-whistleblower, told “CUOMO” on Friday.
Some UFO files, including Apollo moon ‘lights,’ explainable: Avi Loeb
But Elizondo and other observers have misgivings about what’s not happening.
Ross Coulthart, a NewsNation special correspondent and host of the “Reality Check” podcast, said the documents don’t address a question he has long investigated: Whether the government has covertly recovered nonhuman technology.
“The government has never directly addressed the claim — it’s avoided it,” he said. “Are we going to get the full story about what the government actually knows about retrieved nonhuman technology?”
U.S. military officials historically have not been forthcoming about UFO evidence, Coulthart said, because “we don’t like admitting that we’re not the apex predator anymore.”
Harvard theoretical physicist Avi Loeb, who leads the Galileo Project, calls the UFO files that have been released so far a “mixed bag” of explainable and mystifying incidents.
He said moving forward, the government should get behind an organized effort to “monitor the sky” with help from scientists in the private sector.
With appropriate resources, investigators could “collect high-quality, high-resolution data and then figure out what these things are,” Loeb said.
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Exorcist says UFO phenomenon work of the devil: Report
Latest UFO file dump ‘barely scratches surface’: Filmmaker
Dan Farah, director of the recent UFO documentary “The Age of Disclosure,” tells “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” that the videos of “unidentified anomalous phenomena” in the latest release of Pentagon files reinforce the suspicion that crafts with mind-boggling technology are out there.
He said only a few scenarios are possible at this point: Either an adversarial nation or someone within the U.S. has “leap-frogged” the American military by a century, or nonhuman intelligence is responsible.
Play VideoLatest UFO file dump ‘barely scratches surface’ of evidence: Filmmaker | Elizabeth Vargas Reports
“Any way you cut it, what’s unfolding in real time before our eyes is the biggest story in the history of humanity,” Farah said.
His film posits that the U.S. and other nations have recovered alien tech and are in a race to reverse-engineer it as a variety of public officials and whistleblowers push for transparency.
Farah says what has been released so far “barely scratches the surface,” but he holds out hope that advocates for disclosure will win out over secretive government institutions and contractors.
“I called the film, my documentary, ‘The Age of Disclosure,’ not ‘The Moment of Disclosure,’ because it’s not a singular moment,” he said.
“It’s a process that’s going to unfold, and it’s going to have milestones and hurdles, and it’s going to play out most likely over the course of this entire year.”
UFO files: Familiar complaint of murky videos lacking context
Play VideoUFO files: Familiar complaint of murky videos lacking context | Jesse Weber Live
Some of the videos in Friday’s bundle drew attention for what they may show. But the clips also generated familiar criticisms about the clarity of the images.
Also hindering analysts are redactions in the videos that mask classified data. Without the information, UAP researchers say, they can’t draw firmer conclusions about what is going on in the videos.
“Unfortunately, a lot of these videos are fuzzy,” Alejandro Rojas of Enigma Labs told “Jesse Weber Live” on Friday. “There’s just not enough information in the videos to be able to determine what they are.”
Rojas added that other types of newly released files, including written witness accounts, are informative to the general public.
UFO topic has gone from fringe to mainstream: Author
Miguel Sancho, author of “Evidence of the Extraordinary,” says the rolling releases of UFO files by the Trump administration represents a sea change in government, considering the way investigators and witnesses were discouraged from speaking up about sightings.
“When you compare where we are now to where the government has been for decades … we’ve come a long way,” Sancho told “Katie Pavlich Tonight.”
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‘Time for President Trump to tell the world’ about UAP and UFOs: Investigative journalist
May 22, 2026
On Friday’s “Finnerty,” investigative journalist Jeremy Corbell weighed in on the second batch of government UFO files released.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP-p_R7LffY
https://x.com/RobFinnertyUSA
https://x.com/JeremyCorbell
lil extra UFO Files
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZqeBveNWA8 (Benny Johnson: US Government Dropped The MOTHERLOAD of UFO Videos | You Won't Believe This…)
https://minutemirror.com.pk/garry-nolan-reveals-chilling-brain-damage-claims-linked-to-ufo-encounters-560802/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFDxu0uho2M (CBS: Stanford professor who studied impact of UFO encounters on brain unpacks new batch of Pentagon files)
https://www.liberationtimes.com/home/meet-the-investor-betting-ufo-disclosure-will-move-markets
https://x.com/ChrisUKSharp
Meet the Investor Betting UFO Disclosure Will Move Markets
20 May 2026
Matthew Tuttle is no stranger to unconventional investments.
But with the Tuttle Capital UFO Disclosure ETF – ticker symbol UFOD – the chief executive and chief investment officer of Connecticut-based Tuttle Capital Management may have made the defining bet of his career: that UFO disclosure will not just reshape politics and culture, but markets too.
When Tuttle launched UFOD in February 2026, many could have dismissed it as a curiosity, another strange corner of thematic investing.
But less than three weeks later, President Donald Trump moved the subject from speculation into the centre of American political spectacle.
The White House’s recent rollout of UFO files has pushed the subject firmly into the political spotlight.
Since launching less than two weeks ago, the U.S. government’s UFO portal has attracted more than one billion page views, with further releases expected as the administration recognises both the public’s appetite for, and political value of, disclosure.
President Trump has also leaned into the spectacle personally, posting an AI-generated image on Truth Social showing him escorting a handcuffed alien.
Speaking to Liberation Times about the recent developments, Matthew Tuttle comments:
“As soon as Trump came in and said, I’m going to release the UFO files, my sense was, all right, there’s going to be no better time than now for this theme.”
However, Tuttle isn’t betting on non-humans being acknowledged.
He’s betting on the technology - whether it is human or non-human.
“We call it a UFO disclosure ETF. It’s really not about UFO disclosure. It’s about disclosure of technology that I think we’re sitting on,” Tuttle says.
He adds:
“If it’s alien, it’s more fun, but it doesn’t have to be alien. The concept is something called the secret gap. It’s the idea that whatever we see, the government is 20 to 30 years ahead.
“Our belief is there are other programs, specifically around energy and propulsion, that are being worked on outside of Congress, outside of the President.
“If they get back control of those programs, I think it is much more likely that they become available for commercial use, which fits my thesis perfectly.”
Energy and propulsion are the areas he watches most closely.
“The technologies that are the most interesting to me are energy and propulsion, because I also think those are technologies that can be unclassified,” he said.
He added: “We’ve got computers that can think, but we’re still using the same fuel source we’ve been using for, what, 150 years? It just doesn’t make any sense.”
For Tuttle, the clearest market trigger would be legal immunity and whistleblower protection.
If insiders from government or contractor-run programs are given a safe route to come forward, he believes the disclosure process could accelerate rapidly, potentially transforming UFOD from an eccentric thematic bet into a serious market play.
“What I’m laser-focused on is whistleblower protection,” he said.
“If I’m sitting there at Lockheed Martin working on one of these programs outside of Congressional authority, I’ve committed a crime. So why am I going to go testify in front of Congress and incriminate myself? I’m not. You’ve got to give me immunity.”
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UFOD seeks capital appreciation by investing in companies which could benefit from government disclosure – that is, confirmation or exploitation of advanced technologies tied to what is officially known by the U.S. government as Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena or UAP.
The fund is actively managed and focuses on sectors such as aerospace, defence, advanced energy, materials science and related technology platforms.
The fund’s holdings show how that thesis is being translated into public markets.
As of 19 May 2026, UFOD’s top holdings included Amentum Holdings, Palantir Technologies, American Superconductor, Rocket Lab, Quanta Services, Lockheed Martin, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Keysight Technologies, SCHMID Group and IonQ.
Amentum was the fund’s largest listed holding, at 4.58 per cent, while Lockheed Martin was also among the top ten, at 2.81 per cent.
Amentum is one of UFOD’s more striking holdings.
Created in 2020 from AECOM’s former Management Services business, the company sits deep inside the U.S. national-security contracting world, with work spanning defence, intelligence, energy and test-range support.
Its own materials lists work on the U.S. Air Force’s Nevada Test and Training Range, and the company has described itself as the largest range support services provider in the world.
Lockheed Martin is another obvious and symbolically important holding.
The company has repeatedly appeared in UFO-related allegations about a failed effort to move materials of alleged non-human origin out of its hands, first through Bigelow Aerospace and later through a proposed Department of Homeland Security program known as KONA BLUE.
Asked how he chose the companies included in UFOD, Tuttle said the process came naturally from his background in thematic investing.
“Luckily for me, I do this for a living,” Tuttle said.
“We’re big into thematic investing, which means looking at a theme and asking: who are the obvious winners, who are the suppliers to those winners, and who are the asymmetric plays?
In other words, which companies could potentially move 500% in a month if the thesis starts to play out?”
In today’s investing world, AI is the obvious story. For Tuttle, the more interesting question is what comes next, especially if defence, advanced technology and UFO disclosure begin to converge.
“Everyone’s talking AI. No one’s talking about the convergence trade, where you’re seeing this convergence between military and technology,” he said.
“I don’t even need zero-point energy to be real because we have the convergence trade that’s happening.”
But if hidden energy or propulsion technology did emerge, Tuttle argues the impact could dwarf today’s AI boom.
“Imagine free energy. That dwarfs what AI can do, which is why I love this investment thesis so much.”
Tuttle’s optimistic outlook on potential UFO disclosure puts him at odds with some of the more dramatic warnings around UFO disclosure.
A 2026 Deloitte paper treated UFO disclosure as a possible Black Swan event, warning that it could disrupt markets, public trust and social stability.
Former Bank of England analyst Helen McCaw has also urged financial authorities to prepare for ontological shock if alien life is confirmed, warning of possible market panic and loss of confidence in institutions.
But Tuttle is sceptical that the mere announcement of alien life would crash markets.
“I can’t put two and two together: aliens are real, I’m selling my stocks. Why?” he told Liberation Times.
For him, the real market shock would come if disclosure included technology.
In that scenario, he said, investors could start betting against oil and utility companies, because “there is still a use for petroleum, but not at $100 a barrel.”
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