Technologies

ICYMI: Watch Katy Perry, Gayle King Successfully Land on Blue Origin Space Flight

Music icon Katy Perry and an all-woman crew launched on a Blue Origin New Shepard spacecraft on April 14, as Oprah Winfrey watched from the ground.

Pop star Katy Perry may need to update the lyrics to her hit song Firework to, «Baby, you’re an astronaut.» On Monday, Perry became one of the latest celebrities to visit space. Author and former journalist Lauren Sanchez was also part of Blue Origin’s successful NS-31 mission. Sanchez is the fiancee of Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and Blue Origin.

Aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyễn, film producer Kerianne Flynn and CBS host Gayle King (Oprah Winfrey’s bestie) filled out the roster for the all-female crew. Winfrey attended the launch as an observer.

The crew rolled to the launchpad in Rivian electric trucks and took an elevator up to board the crew capsule. Bezos personally escorted them to the rocket. The flight lasted about 11 minutes. Perry sang What a Wonderful World during the flight, though choppy audio made it difficult to hear the crew at times during the livestream.

This was the first all-female spaceflight since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s historic solo spaceflight in 1963. Tereshkova was the first woman in space.

Watch Katy Perry visit space

The New Shepard spacecraft launched from West Texas at about 8:30 a.m. CT on Monday. Relive the mission through Blue Origin’s livestream replay on YouTube.

Does New Shepard reach space?

There’s an ongoing debate about what represents space. For example, everyone agrees the International Space Station is in space but commercial rocket rides like what Blue Origin operates fall into a gray zone. One benchmark is the Karman line, an imagined line 62 miles above the Earth’s surface.

NASA recognizes that «there’s really no clear boundary between where Earth’s atmosphere ends and outer space begins,» but says most scientists recognize the Karman line as the transition point to space. So unless you want to get into a nitpicky argument, Perry and the rest of the crew made a brief visit to space during their mission.

The crew experienced weightlessness after the spacecraft passed the Karman line. The return trip involved a gentle parachute-assisted landing of the crew capsule.

This was the 11th human flight for the New Shepard program. Blue Origin had previously flown 52 people into space, including Star Trek’s William Shatner, Good Morning America host Michael Strahan and Bezos.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, Nov. 9

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Nov. 9.

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

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? There are a couple of tricky ones today. (8-Across, for one.) Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Croat or Bulgarian
Answer: SLAV

5A clue: No-___ Texas Hold’em (poker variety)
Answer: LIMIT

7A clue: Proof you weren’t part of the crime, say
Answer: ALIBI

8A clue: Roll around in the morning?
Answer: BAGEL

9A clue: Purchase price
Answer: COST

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Thick piece of concrete
Answer: SLAB

2D clue: Light purple
Answer: LILAC

3D clue: Ol’ buddy ol’ pal
Answer: AMIGO

4D clue: Has good chemistry (with)
Answer: VIBES

6D clue: Lean to one side
Answer: TILT

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Nov. 9, #412

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Nov. 9, No. 412.

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 is a fun one, especially if you’re from the City of Angels. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for 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: Up into the air!

Green group hint: Tinseltown teams.

Blue group hint: The Metrodome is another one.

Purple group hint: Artsy Olympics.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Leap.

Green group: Los Angeles teams.

Blue group: Former NFL stadiums.

Purple group: Rhythmic gymnastics apparatus.

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 leap. The four answers are bound, hop, jump and spring.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is Los Angeles teams. The four answers are Chargers, Dodgers, Sparks and Trojans.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is former NFL stadiums. The four answers are Candlestick, Giants, Silverdome and Veterans.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is rhythmic gymnastics apparatus. The four answers are clubs, hoop, ribbon and rope.

Technologies

Verum Messenger Update: The voice of the universe now sounds clearer

Verum Messenger Update: The voice of the universe now sounds clearer

The new version of Verum Messenger brings advanced microphone modes — Automatic, Standard, Voice Isolation, and Wide Spectrum. Choose how your voice will sound — focused, natural, or cosmically wide.

Anonymity. Energy. Freedom.

Your words move through protected channels, dissolving in a space with no surveillance, no borders — only Verum, the flow of truth and silence.