pods | Common News Update

Mar312021 by adminNo Comments

Nevada company plans space station with inflatable pods

Science

ORLANDO, Fla., March 31 (UPI) -- Nevada-based Sierra Nevada Corp. plans to launch a commercial space station with inflatable human habitats within seven years, the company announced in a press conference Wednesday. Sierra Nevada already has seven NASA contracts to launch its Dream Chaser spaceplane, which is being developed to fly cargo to the International Space Station starting in 2022. Advertisement Now, the firm said it aims to have its own orbiting habitat in space before NASA retires the space station around 2028. The company's orbiting space station has no name yet, but it would consist of inflatable sections connected by hardware, said Janet Kavandi, a former astronaut and an executive vice president of Sierra Nevada, during the press conference at company facilities in Littleton,...

MLB’s Grapefruit League to use Florida ‘pods’ for spring training

Sports

Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Major League Baseball's Grapefruit League teams also are expected to be placed in separate "pods" in Florida as a COVID-19 safety precaution. Sources told The Athletic, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Miami Herald on Monday about the plan, which is an effort to reduce travel for the teams. Advertisement Teams based on Florida's west coast will play 28 games. Teams with facilities on Florida's east coast will play 24 games against east coast opponents and have four intrasquad matchups. The Grapefruit League schedule is expected to start Feb. 26 and end March 30. The Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets and Washington Nationals have training facilities on the east coast of Florida. The Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, New Y...

Juul to end social media campaigns, stop selling flavored pods in some stores

Health

Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Juul, the company with more than 70 percent of the e-cigarette share in the United States, has agreed to stop selling its flavored pods in stores and to shut down its social media campaigns. The e-cigarette company made this announcement on Tuesday, in the face of a recent decision from the Food and Drug Administration to ban flavored e-cigarettes in gas stations and convenience stores. "We don't want anyone who doesn't smoke, or already use nicotine, to use JUUL products," the company said in a press release. "We certainly don't want youth using the product. It is bad for public health, and it is bad for our mission." Many anticipate that the FDA will move forward with a plan to beef up online sales age verification requirements for flavored e-cigarettes. The move to st...