Virgin Galactic Strikes Deal With NASA to Work on Supersonic Rocket Travel
Alan Boyle, GeekWire
Aerospace and Science Editor Alan Boyle is an award-winning science writer and space reporter. Formerly of NBCNews.com, he is the author of "The Case for Pluto: How a Little Planet Made a Big Difference." Read his stories on GeekWire.
Virgin Galactic says it's signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA to collaborate on the development of supersonic vehicles for civil applications.
The agreement also involves The Spaceship Company, a Virgin Galactic subsidiary that manufactures the SpaceShipTwo rocket plane and its WhiteKnightTwo mothership. The SpaceShipTwo model known as VSS Unity has already flown to the 50-mile-high edge of space twicein California, and this week it conducted its first gliding flight test at Spaceport America, its new home in New Mexico.
Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson has long said he plans to make use of SpaceShipTwo technology for high-speed, point-to-point travel between destinations on Earth. That application is a big reason why Boeing has invested $20 million in Virgin Galactic.
Also today, Virgin Galactic Holdings reported its first-quarter financial results, including a net loss of $60 million, revenue of $238,000 from engineering services, and a "strong cash position" with $419 million on hand. Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides said more than 400 refundable "One Small Step" deposits have been received from people in 44 countries who are interested in SpaceShipTwo flights. That's in addition to the 600 customers who already have signed up and paid up to $250,000 for a ticket to ride.
SpaceShipTwo Unity Completes First Flight From Spaceport America youtu.be
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Musicians are facing a tough road and the pandemic hasn't made life any easier. But changes are afoot that could help.
A flurry of deals between music copyright owners and a grab bag of online video purveyors may be just the first step in a process that could see "the most important copyright reform since the U.S. passed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) 22 years ago," according to one industry observer.
With it, artists and rights holders should be better positioned to benefit from the growing relevance of music across social media platforms, gaming consoles, virtual gyms and much more.
<p>"There clearly has been a frenzy of activity," David Israelite, president and chief executive of the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA), a trade association representing American music publishers and songwriters, told dot.LA. </p><p>The changes afoot stem from a battle that has been playing out in Europe that has pitted the creative community against some of tech's giants such as YouTube and Facebook. Those companies depend on content created by artists. </p><p>Last year, the EU adopted tough new copyright laws set to take effect next June. Though the regulations are facing a slew of challenges, global digital companies are looking to come into compliance to get ahead of the curve, and possibly an edge on competitors. </p><p>In August, Santa Monica-based Snap <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-03/snap-lands-deals-with-top-music-companies-to-add-songs-to-videos?sref=QjdS4d5U" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">struck a deal</a> with several big music companies for rights to their music. L.A.-based Triller <a href="https://musically.com/2020/08/13/triller-signs-new-18-month-contract-with-b2b-firm-7digital/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed a deal</a> with digital music firm 7digital for back-end support on its licensing management. </p><p>In July, <a href="https://musically.com/2020/07/23/tiktok-licensing-us-publishing-nmpa/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TikTok agreed to terms with NMPA</a>, which included a settlement for past violations and an agreement for the future. The Culver City-based company also recently signed deals with indie digital rights managers <a href="https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/tiktok-signs-global-licensing-deal-with-indie-label-agency-merlin/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Merlin</a> and <a href="https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/tiktok-inks-new-global-deal-with-believe-one-of-the-worlds-biggest-independent-music-companies/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Believe</a>. </p><p>The Believe agreement could be particularly beneficial. It allows the independent artists affiliated with Believe-owned TuneCore to upload tracks onto TikTok, <a href="https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/tunecore-offers-free-distribution-to-tiktok/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the company announced last week</a>, potentially bringing them a massive new global audience. </p><p>And as in-home fitness grows more popular and more reliant on music. Apple, for instance, <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/09/apple-fitness-plus-a-personalized-fitness-experience-comes-to-life-with-apple-watch/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">recently announced a new subscription fitness program</a> that will involve music. </p><p>The company is "doing it the right way – licensing from the very start," Israelite said. NMPA will undoubtedly be watching other competitors in the fitness space closely.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<a href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1594810205183-18a8b0ce6c13?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&q=80&fm=jpg&crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&w=400&fit=max&ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEzMzIxMn0" target="_blank"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDQ0MjY2NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMjA0MTMyNH0.u9Jw-CUCzI1EEbsUATH9Zlc7u-6jeSKd47QHOKyofjg/image.jpg?width=980" id="57a2e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bfe0b0ce54c2028f6a08f0ecccc0164f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /></a>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption..."> European Union member countries will begin enforcing Article 17 in June 2021. that require platforms to make an upfront effort to avoid copyright violation. </small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@guillaumeperigois?utm_source=RebelMouse&utm_medium=referral">Guillaume Périgois</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=RebelMouse&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a>
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</p><h2>Why Are All These Deals Happening Now?</h2><p>In the U.S., the current legal framework – which emerged with the DMCA, before social media existed – requires platforms to respond to takedown notices, but not to proactively ensure that songs that show up in your feed are properly licensed. </p><p>When a song's rights holder issues a takedown notice, it leaves the platform with the choice of obtaining a license, removing the song from the platform (and potentially upsetting users) or possibly getting sued. </p><p>Songs have two kinds of copyright: one for the sound recording, and one for the underlying composition. If a platform is making money in part thanks to a song, both copyrights are relevant. </p><p>Since the performer is the face of the music, the songwriter can sometimes be forgotten. </p><p>"You often see (platforms) start with labels then move on to publishers. Sometimes they won't, though, or sometimes they won't get to the smaller, independent publishers," Israelite added. </p><p>Platforms can also take "Safe Harbor," meaning "what they don't know is on their platform, they're not liable for," said Wilson Hays of L.A.-based <a href="https://pex.com/" target="_blank">Pex</a>, a tech company that monitors audio and visual assets across the web. But by June of next year, <a href="https://www.termsfeed.com/blog/eu-copyright-directive-article-17/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the EU will begin enforcing</a> reforms that require platforms to make an upfront effort to avoid copyright violation. The new E.U. laws won't apply directly to content posted in the U.S., but companies with international operations may find it easier to roll out compliance changes across their global operations rather than taking a piecemeal approach. </p><p>Hays believes that many are already trying to get ahead of Article 17's requirements before the new legislation takes effect. It may behoove them to do so, since <a href="https://www.ipwatchdog.com/2020/06/02/senate-ip-subcommittee-hearing-dmca-reform-grand-bargain-no-longer-working/id=122124/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the U.S. is looking at its own copyright reforms</a>. </p><p>This is a big deal, Hays said. </p><p>"Life will get better come 2021 for independent rights holders because they will have tools at their disposal that will allow them to have more control over their content — on top of generating more revenue," he added. "This attribution will happen prior to upload, allowing any creator to participate in whatever revenue is generated from the get-go."</p><p>Indian companies, too, are becoming more aggressive about enforcing their music copyrights on social media. Several short-form video companies that have gained popularity in the wake of TikTok's ban in the country, including Triller, are <a href="https://musically.com/2020/09/08/t-series-takes-on-indian-short-video-apps-over-music-usage/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">facing lawsuits</a>.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image image-crop-16x9">
<a href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1527334919515-b8dee906a34b?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&q=80&fm=jpg&crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&w=400&fit=max&ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEzMzIxMn0" target="_blank"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDQ0MjY2NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNjQzMDU5NX0.vDamg-65AmkrOVrmYwlAZ8S7Bs8xOEo-6WK7OEk3O2k/image.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=200%2C726%2C274%2C80&height=700" id="fc235" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9c457d1c550e785bd9f69581160fa173" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /></a>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Amazon-owned streaming video company Twitch also relies heavily on music.</small>
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Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@casparrubin?utm_source=RebelMouse&utm_medium=referral">Caspar Camille Rubin</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=RebelMouse&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a>
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</p><h2>Music Has Become a Core Component of Social Media
</h2><p>On YouTube, for example, there are at least 10 seconds of music on 84% of the platform's videos. Over half of all videos on Instagram contain music, according to Hays. Getting their licenses in order allows platforms to let their users include music in their videos without needing to worry they will be taken down.</p><p>Amazon-owned streaming video company Twitch also relies heavily on music. <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/9431760/jeff-bezos-twitch-music-royalties-artist-rights-alliance-letter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The company has taken heat</a> for Jeff Bezos' <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/9429423/jeff-bezos-stumped-twitch-royalties-congressional-hearing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">poor performance before Congress in July. when representatives asked him</a> if the company pays out royalties. He couldn't say, but the answer is… rarely. </p><p>Platforms that delay getting their licensing deals in order can save themselves cash and embarrassment. They can also avoid navigating the complex copyright landscape, but as they grow that strategy can come back to bite them. </p><p>"Once they begin generating substantial revenue, then they'll draw the attention of rights holders," said Hays </p><p>At least part of the change has to do with a growing intolerance by the creative community of extremely wealthy companies using music without proper licensing. Another portion is driven by successful, high-profile legal disputes that Israelite said have "sent a message to other companies." </p><p>Peloton, for example, faced a protracted legal battle before <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nmpa-and-peloton-announce-settlement-of-litigation-joint-collaboration-agreement-301012233.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">agreeing to terms</a> that, as with TikTok, accounted for past violations and set new terms for artists featured on its platform. Such cases, Israelite noted, have "accelerated the choice these companies have to make": Either license properly, or be a copyright infringer, and bear the consequences of receiving takedown notices or getting sued. </p><p>In the wake of Jeff Bezos's embarrassing admission to Congress, Twitch is "starting to become more of a focus for the need for proper licenses," said Israelite. </p><p>As has already been seen in India, TikTok competitors in the short-form video space can't just focus on having the right algorithm and attracting a big user base. Israelite pointed to Triller as an example of a startup that has deals with record labels (for the recordings) and some publishing deals that may soon have to play catch up. </p><p>"I think they'll have to deal with a pretty large problem for a significant number of songs being used without proper permission from publishers." </p><p>Israelite also noted that Twitter has no publishing licenses yet. </p><p>More ripples are likely to emerge wherever music can be found in the digital landscape, from social media to gaming, fitness and beyond. Whether that change comes in the form of lawsuits or licensing agreements remains to be seen. </p>
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When the newest Mars rover departs Earth this summer, it will carry a relatively small piece of new technology that could potentially transform the way humans explore space. On Monday, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge will present details on its exploration goals, including a new technology that could help humans breathe on the red planet.
Roughly the size of a fancy toaster oven, MOXIE, which stands for the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Equipment, essentially produces oxygen from the thin Martian atmosphere, which is primarily made up of carbon dioxide, at a rate of about 10 grams of oxygen per hour. That's roughly enough oxygen to keep a small cat or dog alive.
<p>MOXIE is one of seven pieces of equipment that has been loaded onto the car-sized <a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/" target="_blank">Mars 2020 rover</a> at JPL. And while it's not the main focus of this mission — <a href="https://dot.la/nasa-martian-soil-mission-2645091182.html" target="_blank">identifying soil samples for analysis and future return to Earth</a> — it remains a critical step to be able to ultimately send a human being to Mars and bring them back.</p><p>Clearly, oxygen is critical for human life. The element is also critical for rocket propellant so that a spacecraft would not have to deal with the technical ramifications of carrying additional weight or landing with excess oxygen. If the scale model works, the next step would be to create a larger oxygen-producing plant to greet the first humans to land on the moon.</p><p>"Right now the heaviest thing we've landed on Mars is approximately a 1-ton rover, and we need hundreds of tons of oxygen," said Asad Aboobaker, 40, who served as the thermal engineer for MOXIE and recently demonstrated the equipment for dot.LA. The federally funded research and development center leads the Mars 2020 mission and also won the contract to build MOXIE.</p><p>Should MOXIE succeed, it is likely to have impacts on the commercial aerospace world as well as science. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, which is based in Hawthorne, Calif., has set an "aspirational" goal of <a href="https://www.spacex.com/mars" target="_blank">sending humans to Mars in 2024 as settlers</a>, but under the aerospace company's current plan, those humans would likely never return to the Earth.<br/></p><p>"MOXIE is a small step toward that (return), but a very important step," Aboobaker said, noting that the "small-scale oxygen plant" would have to scale up significantly to 2 kilograms of oxygen per hour.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjY2NDY1OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwMjIxMDcxOX0.qe_6ONp01eJzpN4sJh0YLzG78rArYkd3-wOk-pyLfsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="f5a6c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="26839efd5b3ac57814179390f6db659e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Asad Aboobaker, 40, who served as the thermal engineer for MOXIE and helped build the system at JPL, shows the version of MOXIE that will remain on Earth while a flight-ready version is scheduled to travel to the Mars 2020 rover this summer.
Photo by Tami Abdollah
<p>Such a large system would need to be sent to Mars years before humans would ultimately arrive, so that oxygen could autonomously be generated and be ready for the arrival of humans.<br></p><p>The planets align every 26 months in a way that allows for a spacecraft's launch to Mars. So the first several Mars missions with human crews would likely use two consecutive launch windows, with the first putting necessary infrastructure in place, said Michael Hecht, who is the principal investigator for MOXIE. Hecht leads the MOXIE project out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.</p><p>"MOXIE is built for a specific purpose. It's a prototype for a future, larger and more powerful system that will save us the trouble of transporting all that oxygen to Mars," Hecht said. "Instead, that first mission will carry a full-scale MOXIE-style oxygen generation plant and an empty tank, and MOXIE will use the time while waiting for the astronauts to fill the tank with oxygen."<br></p><p>As a technology, the 17-kilogram-sized MOXIE creates oxygen from carbon dioxide by pumping the gas from the Martian atmosphere through its electrolysis system to break up molecules ultimately into breathable oxygen. The engineering was particularly tricky because the electrolysis system works at 800 degrees Celsius or a blistering 1,472 degrees Fahrenheit. Aluminum, which is a material that's often used in engineering, however, melts at 660 degrees. So they ended up using chromium, which melts at more than double that temperature.<br></p>
<p>Because MOXIE requires a significant amount of power to operate and is not the central objective for the 2020 mission, it will be utilized intermittently and "opportunistically," with an eye toward identifying how it might operate during different times of day, weather or other conditions, Abookbaker said.</p><p>While MOXIE cost more than $40 million, according to a 2017 NASA Inspector General report, it was a relative drop in the bucket compared to the roughly $2 billion Mars 2020 project.</p><p><em>__</em></p><p><em>Do you have a story that needs to be told? My DMs are open on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/latams" target="_blank">@latams</a>. You can also <a href="mailto:mailto:tami@dot.la" target="_self">email me</a>, or ask for my Signal.</em></p>
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