Technologies

The Boeing Starliner Is Finally Taking People Into Space: How to Watch the Launch Tonight

The Starliner’s first crewed launch is more than a decade in the making.

The Boeing Starliner started life in 2010, when it was selected by NASA to be the next reusable transport to the International Space Station. It took well over a decade, but Starliner is finally set to make its first crewed voyage to the ISS on Monday night, and you can watch it happen.

NASA scheduled the launch for 10:34 p.m. ET/7:34 p.m. PT on May 6 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral. The Starliner will launch with an Atlas V rocket that was created by the United Launch Alliance, which is a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Traveling with the Starliner are astronauts Sunita (Suni) Williams and Barry (Butch) Wilmore.

NASA says the missions will take the astronauts to the ISS for a little over a week to test the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems before returning to Earth. The testing is the final step in certifying the Starliner for repeat use in transport missions to and from the ISS. If everything goes according to plan, the Starliner should reach the ISS approximately 26 hours after launch.

This is the first new spacecraft to head to the ISS since the SpaceX Demo-2 made the same voyage back in 2020.

«The arrival of a brand-new vehicle, the first crewed flight of a new-generation spacecraft is a really big deal,» said Michael Barratt, one of seven residents of the ISS. «You leave nothing to chance.»

A mission 14 years in the making

The Starliner was initially conceived as a commercial effort to take more people into space. In 2014, NASA tapped Boeing and SpaceX, and made the Starliner one of the first privately constructed spacecraft to shuttle astronauts to the International Space Station. NASA wanted to lean more on private business to build and maintain such spacecraft instead of performing all of the work by itself.

Starliner had to learn how to walk before it could run, however. Initial test flights were delayed for several reasons, ranging anywhere from unfavorable weather conditions to software issues. The unmanned test flights were delayed again in 2021 and eventually pushed back to 2022 for myriad reasons.

The unmanned test flight finally launched on May 19, 2022, and completed its mission a week later. It was a huge win for the Boeing crew since that opened the doors for a crewed mission to the ISS. NASA was pretty pumped about it as well. But that launch was pushed back due to various issues, including some with the Atlas V rocket that would be responsible for launching the Starliner.

The delays are over now, and the rocket is ready for launch.

How to watch the Boeing Starliner launch

NASA is livestreaming the event from its YouTube channel. The direct video link is here. NASA will begin coverage at 5:45 p.m. ET this evening and broadcast through the launch with commentary by Spaceflight Now’s Will Robinson-Smith.

Some other YouTube channels will also livestream the event, including SpaceX, Space.com’s VideoFromSpace channel and the Associated Press YouTube channel. There are several others as well, so surf YouTube for Starliner livestreams, and pick the one you like best.

Technologies

Save Up to $35 Off a Baseus Charging Station This July 4th and Stay Powered Up All Weekend

When USB ports aren’t enough, a Baseus charging station is what you need. Power all your gadgets with multiple well-spaced AC outlets and no clutter.

Keeping all your gear charged can be a job unto itself, and it gets more complicated when you have visitors. Whether you’re having guests this Fourth of July weekend or you just need a better charging solution for your family, a charging station could be the answer. But even the best charging stations can only share so many watts between devices, which is why the best charging stations from brands like Anker and Baseus not only feature multiple USB ports but also multiple AC outlets. AC outlets accommodate those few devices that still use proprietary chargers, and it lets you expand beyond the included 2-4 USB ports without sacrificing wattage when you need to top off everyone quickly before heading out.

The Fourth of July deals are bouncing into next week’s Amazon Prime Day to give us some of the best savings of the year a week early. Among the dozens of mobile accessories Baseus has on sale this holiday weekend is a trio of towers that can declutter your desk and keep everything you need ready and recharged. Available in 6-in-1, 7-in-1 for $65, and 10-in-1 varieties, these charging stations all offer two USB-C ports, at least one USB-A port and multiple AC outlets. Just note: You’ll need to clip the on-page coupon to get the lowest possible price.

For the best blend of power and ports, Baseus’ 100W 7-in-1 USB-C charging station can fast charge a laptop at 65W — full speed for all Chromebooks and many Windows laptops — while a phone and tablet each standard charge at 15W and still leave 5W for your smartwatch while your non-USB tech or your desk’s smart speaker can use the AC ports on both sides and the back of the tower. These towers are part power delivery chargers and part surge protectors with surge and lightning protection to keep your digital lifelines from frying should calamity strike.

The Baseus $35 10-in-1 desktop charging station model may sound like it’s the most powerful, but it only offers 35 watts to share between the two USB-C and USB-A ports, leaving the lion’s share of the station’s potential power to the six AC ports. This isn’t to say 35W between four ports is useless, but you’ll want to use those ports for lower-powered devices like recharging your smartwatch or wireless earbuds.

If you’re looking to charge multiple phones and tablets with those ports, you’re probably better off going with the 6-in-1 USB-C Charging Station at $50, which may only have three AC ports but features a retractable USB-C cable in addition to one standard USB-A and one USB-C port. Those three ports share 65W, meaning that you can charge both a phone and tablet at full speed rather than both getting middling speeds.

Why this deal matters

I use a 100W charging station like this at my desk and have another next to my couch for both me and my guests to keep our phones powered and ready. Being able to stick my 65W travel charger into one of the AC ports and fast charge four phones instead of two — well, one phone and my Chromebook — when I have people over and then swap it back to powering my oil diffuser or smart speaker once they’re gone is a godsend, and since the wall outlets are spread out across multiple sides of the tower instead of sandwiched next to each other in a line, I never have to worry about bulky plugs blocking out half my ports.

Because these charging stations double as surge protectors, you can also click their switch to power off and disconnect everything when severe weather comes, unlike standard charging stations you would have to unplug. Living in lightning capital of the U.S. makes this feature more important to me than most, but it can also be handy for parents wanting a one-click shut-off for all the kids’ consoles and computers.

We’re still days away from Prime Day, and deals like these will continue to drop through the next week, but these chargers are all within a few dollars of their lowest prices ever. We’ll watch for further price drops and competing deals throughout the holiday week, including Anker’s plethora of deals on chargers, speakers and smart home appliances.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for July 4, #284

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for July 4, No. 284.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition has kind of a July 4 flavor. But come on, New York Times puzzle makers, is the blue category really a sport? Read on for hints and the answers. And pass the mustard.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: What you won.

Green group hint: Lone Star State sports.

Blue group hint: Chow down.

Purple group hint: Not cold.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: A monetary reward.

Green group: A Texas basketball player.

Blue group: Nathan’s hot dog contest eating winners.

Purple group: Hot ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is a monetary reward. The four answers are prize, purse, stakes and winnings.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is a Texas basketball player. The four answers are Maverick, Rocket, Spur and Wing.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Nathan’s hot dog contest eating winners. The four answers are Bertoletti, Chestnut, Kobayashi and Sudo.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is hot ____. The four answers are corner, dog, hand and stove.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for July 4, #754

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for July 4, #754.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle was a fairly simple one, I thought. Maybe it was a July 4 gift from the puzzle-makers. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Round and round.

Green group hint: Salute.

Blue group hint: Turn the air on.

Purple group hint: Threw away your shot.