companies – Page 2

First space tourists will face big risks, as private companies gear up for paid suborbital flights

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY

First space tourists will face big risks, as private companies gear up for paid suborbital flights

On May 30, 2020, millions of Americans watched the inaugural SpaceX Crew Dragon launch NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. This mission marked two significant events: First, the return of launch to orbit capability for human spaceflight from the United States. Secondly, it successfully demonstrated private sector capability to build and operate a launch vehicle for human spaceflight. While SpaceX may be the first private space company to accomplish this, it is not alone. Boeing’s Starliner and Lockheed’s Orion capsule are also being developed for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, and training has begun for safety operations on the spacecraft. As an aerospace lawyer working and teaching on human spaceflight law and policy for over a decade, I have a professional and personal...

Social media companies are taking steps to tamp down coronavirus misinformation – but they can do more

As we practice social distancing, our embrace of social media gets only tighter. The major social media platforms have emerged as the critical information purveyors for influencing the choices people make during the expanding pandemic. There’s also reason for worry: the World Health Organization is concerned about an “infodemic,” a glut of accurate and inaccurate information about COVID-19. The social media companies have been pilloried in recent years for practicing “surveillance capitalism” and being a societal menace. The pandemic could be their moment of redemption. How are they rising to this challenge? Surprisingly, Facebook, which had earned the reputation of being the least trusted tech company in recent years, has led with the strongest, most consistent actions during the unfold...

Lawsuit Notice Blames Tor Project & Postal Companies for Teen’s Fatal Overdose

A 2018 case involving darknet-sourced drugs in Park City, Utah has taken a new turn as a new lawsuit notice states its intent to levy responsibility to several parties if the case goes to trial. Park City residents James and Deborah Seaver first filed a wrongful death lawsuit in September directed towards the Tor Project, two postal companies and the estate of the late Alexandre Cazes, founder of AlphaBay. These parties, they claim, are held liable for the death of their son, Grant Seaver, who died in 2016 of a drug overdose involving U-47700. Seaver’s friend, Ryan Ainsworth, died two days later after ingesting the same substance. The pair had apparently ordered a supply of U-47700 from the dark web. An investigation into their deaths led to the implication of two other local teenagers...