Technologies

Katy Perry, Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez Space Mission Launching in a Week

Katy Perry will «shoot across the sky» with an all-female crew, including Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez, a NASA rocket scientist, a bioastronautics research scientist and a film producer.

Blue Origin, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ space company, is making history by sending an all-female crew on its next spaceflight this month. The American spacecraft company’s 11th human mission, NS-31, will include pop singer Katy Perry, Bezos’ fiancé and former journalist Lauren Sánchez, CBS host Gayle King, NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyễn and film producer Kerianne Flynn.

The mission’s planned liftoff is April 14, with a launch window opening at 8:30 a.m. CDT, depending on weather and other factors. According to the Blue Origin website, the astronauts will ascend toward space at more than three times the speed of sound. Once they pass the line, the crew can unbuckle and float weightless before returning to Earth.

The mission is part of Blue Origin’s New Shepard program, which has flown 52 people above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space about 62 miles above Earth.

First all-female crew since a Russian solo flight in the ’60s

The flight will mark the first all-female crew since Russian engineer Valentina Tereshkova’s solo spaceflight in 1963.

Bowe told Elle magazine in an interview published this week that she’s «been training for and waiting for this moment my entire life.» Nguyen agreed, calling it «a dream come true.»

Reactions among the others varied:

«I have wanted to go to space for almost 20 years,» Perry said during the interview with Elle.

«I had a lot of trepidation — I still do — but I also know it’s very interesting to be terrified and excited at the same time,» King told Elle. «I can honestly say it has never been a dream of mine.»

Blue Origin has taken many notable names up above the Earth before, including actor William Shatner, Good Morning America host and retired NFL player Michael Strahan and Bezos himself.

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Rideable Horse Robot Viral Video: The Real Story Behind It

Kawasaki’s Corleo robot horse is just a concept right now, but a thrilling hype video makes it look like a blast to ride.

If you’ve ever watched a video featuring a Boston Dynamics Spot robot dog and wanted to saddle it up and ride it, then Kawasaki has a concept robot that’ll make your heart flutter — and it’s part horse, part leopard, part robot and all wild. Too bad you can’t actually buy one.

The Kawasaki Corleo is a four-legged rideable robot, the answer to the question: «What if we put legs on an all-terrain vehicle instead of wheels?» Kawasaki released a video showing what the concept would look like if it were fully realized.

The trippy video features the Corleo and riders galloping through a forest, running across a field, leaping over rocky terrain and trotting across a snowy landscape. The video appears to be primarily computer generated with Lord of the Rings-worthy scenery.

Kawasaki is known for its motorcycles and ATVs, but the international company has its hands in everything from railcars to industrial equipment and robotics.

Kawasaki unveiled the forward-thinking Corleo for the Osaka Expo 2025 in Japan. It’s a 2050 concept model for a future mode of transportation. The expo’s theme is «designing future society for our lives.» The event officially opens on April 13.

Corleo incorporates some nifty design ideas, including independent legs, a hydrogen engine and steering through weight shifting.

«While preserving the joy of riding, the vehicle continually monitors the rider’s movements to achieve a reassuring sense of unity between human and machine,» Kawasaki said.

Kawasaki didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on its plans for Corleo.

For now, Corleo is just a model capable of limited movement, so your sci-fi dreams of riding across rugged mountains on a kick-butt robo-steed will have to be put on hold. Perhaps 2050 will bring us a world full of leggy, rideable robots. Somehow, that feels more achievable than a bunch of flying cars.