Mercury | Common News Update

Oct152020 by adminNo Comments

Space probe makes 1st Venus fly-by on way to Mercury

Technology

A spacecraft bound for Mercury has swung by Venus, using Earth’s neighbor to adjust its course on the way to the solar system’s smallest and innermost planetByThe Associated PressOctober 15, 2020, 9:36 AM• 2 min readShare to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleBERLIN -- A spacecraft bound for Mercury swung by Venus on Thursday, using Earth's neighbor to adjust its course on the way to the solar system’s smallest and innermost planet.Launched almost two years ago, the European-Japanese probe BepiColombo took a black-and-white snapshot of Venus from a distance of 17,000 kilometers (10,560 miles), with some of its own instruments in the frame.The fly-by is the second of nine so-called planetary gravity assists that the spacecraft needs for its seven-year trip to Mercury. The first, ...

Oct82020 by adminNo Comments

‘The Right Stuff’ cast delves deeper into Mercury 7 astronauts

Entertainment

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- It took more than "the right stuff" to launch Americans into space, say the cast members of National Geographic's new adaptation of The Right Stuff. Patrick J. Adams, Jake McDorman and Colin O'Donoghue play three of the test pilots who made up the Mercury 7, the astronaut team for NASA's first manned space program. "Part of being an actor in this part was figuring out exactly what the right stuff is," McDorman, who plays Alan Shepard, told UPI in a phone interview. Advertisement Tom Wolfe's book, The Right Stuff, became an acclaimed movie in 1983. Even at three hours, the film limited its scope to the technical hurdles NASA overcame to launch men into space. The show covers how NASA recruited Shepard, John Glenn (Adams), Gordon "Gordo" Cooper (O'Donoghue) and ...

Sep242020 by adminNo Comments

Michael Kiwanuka wins the 2020 Mercury Prize

Entertainment

Singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka has won the 2020 Mercury Prize for his soul-searching third record, Kiwanuka.A lush, immersive album of politicised soul, it sees the star exploring themes of self-doubt, faith and civil rights.Released last November, Kiwanuka beat best-sellers like Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia and Stormzy's Heavy Is The Head to win the £25,000 prize."It's blown my mind," said the singer. "Music is all I've ever wanted to do, so I'm over the moon."Kiwanuka won on his third attempt, having been nominated for each of his previous albums: 2012's Home Again and 2016's Love & Hate."I was kind of resigned to the fact [that] if I don't win one this year, probably I'll never win one," he told BBC 6 Music. Michael Kiw...

Sep232020 by adminNo Comments

Mercury Prize 2020: Get to know this year’s nominees

Entertainment

For the first time ever, the winner of the Mercury Prize will be revealed on The One Show this Thursday.The prize, which recognises the best British or Irish album of the year, is normally announced at a lavish awards ceremony in London.But with Covid making that impossible, Radio 1's Annie Mac will deliver the judge's verdict live on BBC One.This year's nominees include pop stars like Dua Lipa and Charli XCX, alongside Stormzy and folk singer Laura Marling.The bookmaker's favourite, however, is Michael Kiwanuka - whose soulful exploration of identity and self-doubt is one of the most acclaimed albums of the last 12 months. Pop acts and women lead Mercury Prize nominationsThe BBC has also put together a special Mercury Prize show...

May282020 by adminNo Comments

Gold mining with mercury threatens health of communities miles downstream

Science

May 28 (UPI) -- Small-scale gold mining using mercury in the Peruvian Amazon threatens the health of communities 100 miles or more downstream, according to new research. In 2015, scientists collected hair and blood samples of mercury from more than 1,200 Peruvian households in 23 communities, some close to mining operations and others more than 100 miles away. The research team returned a year later to retest the same households. Advertisement The data, published Thursday in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, showed adults and children living in native villages were more likely to have higher mercury exposures than non-native Peruvians. The diets of many native communities in Peru feature large amounts of freshwater fish. Mercury pollution concentrates in larg...