CARL AZUZ: Sun, sand, and syrup, separately sum up today's show.
I'm Carl Azuz, and we're thankful you're watching.
100 years ago, solar weather was a lot
less relevant than it is today.
Flares and ejections from our nearest star
didn't have any impact on satellites, global positioning
systems, astronauts, mainly because none of those things
existed.
But now, these events could potentially
disrupt all that, plus airlines in the power grid.
And that's part of the reason why scientists from the United
States and the European Union have sent a pair of probes
to study the sun.
The American spacecraft is NASA's Parker Solar Probe.
It's named for astrophysicist Eugene N. Parker, who predicted
the existence of solar wind in the 1950s
and most scientists then didn't believe him,
according to "The New York Times.
The Parker Solar Probe is on a $1.5 billion mission
and will fly through the sun's atmosphere.
That spacecraft is working with another
from the European Space Agency.
That one's called the Solar Orbiter.
It's named for its mission to orbit the sun.
This probe also cost $1.5 billion,
the money coming from both Europe and the US.
And both of these spacecraft have some serious heat shields
to withstand extreme temperatures
that the Earth's atmosphere and distance from the sun
protect us from.
Space.com says the Parker Probe's shield will work
to keep its instruments at a temperature of about 85 degrees
Fahrenheit, though the probe itself will face measurements
of thousands of degrees higher.
Here's Rachel Crane on how the two probes can work together.
[music]
RACHEL CRANE: Here are some of the most
unprecedented and informative images of the sun ever taken.
They're made possible by these two machines,
NASA's Parker Solar Probe and the European
Space Agency's Solar Orbiter.
- Liftoff.
RACHEL CRANE: Parker was sent up by NASA in August of 2018,
with Solar Orbiter following it in February 2020.
Parker plans to make 24 passes around the sun
before its mission ends in 2025.
Solar Orbiter will be making close approaches to the sun
every six months through at least 2030.
They've been sent to investigate major questions
about the star at the center of our solar system.
What drives its 11 year magnetic cycle?
What heats its corona?
Where do solar winds come from?
Answers to these questions could give us a better understanding
of how the sun affects space weather,
and to better protect satellites that we
rely on for everyday activities here on Earth.
So why are there two separate probes
launched by two different space agencies
to observe the same sun?
It's because they have complementary capabilities
and viewpoints of the sun that help broaden
the information they collect.
For example, cameras can't survive looking directly
at the sun from as close as Parker will be,
so the Solar Orbiter will capture images of the sun
and collect contact information from what Parker observes.
Solar Orbiter plans on getting as close as 26
million miles from the sun.
That's under a third of the Earth's average distance
from the sun.
Parker will get seven times closer
than the record holder for a solar pass,
flying into the sun's corona within 3.8
million miles of its surface.
If the sun can make you too hot here on Earth,
imagine being that close to it.
Parker has been specifically designed
to withstand temperatures approaching
2,500 degrees Fahrenheit.
To protect itself, Parker has been fitted with a 4.5 inch
thick carbon composite shield.
Solar Orbiter traveling farther away, only
has to withstand temperatures over 9:30 degrees Fahrenheit.
But it's fitted with cameras, which need to look at the sun,
so Solar Orbiter's heat shield actually
has holes drilled into it to allow light in for observation.
Parker's orbit takes it through the sun's corona to sample
where coronal plasma detaches, to become solar wind.
Parker carries with it four instruments
to study magnetic fields, plasma,
and energetic particles, and to image the solar wind
and how it accelerates.
Solar Orbiter isn't flying in a fixed orbit.
But it's in resonance with Venus,
using the planet's gravitational pull every few passes
to attempt to gradually shift its orbit to about 33 degrees
above the solar equator, delivering never before seen
views of the sun's polar regions.
And why are these probes doing this now?
Because the sun is heading towards what's
known as solar maximum, which is the peak of solar activity
every 11 years.
The next peak is predicted to occur in July 2025,
so this is their best opportunity to learn as
much about the sun and how it relates to us
here on Earth, until 2036.
CARL AZUZ: 10 second trivia.
Which of these American traditions started in 1938? ,
Fireworks on July 4 Memorial Day parades, spring break,
or Easter egg hunts?
Spring break's origins lie in a trip a New York swim
team took to Florida in 1938.
Early next month, we should get a picture
of how much higher prices were this March
as compared with a year ago.
For February, inflation was 7.9% higher
than it was in February 2021 and that was its biggest
increase in 40 years.
But it's not just gas and groceries.
The cost of renting a place to live was 17% higher in February
than it was last year at that time.
That's according to realtor.com.
And it means rent costs are at their highest level ever.
With spring break getting underway,
inflation's in the prices of tickets for travel and events.
It's on menus and in activities.
But there's so much pent up demand
to get out of the house following
the lockdowns and restrictions related to COVID-19.
How are Americans balancing inflation and entertainment?
- We were just going to come and blow it out.
-
NATASHA CHEN: For families who haven't traveled much
in the last two to three years.
- It's given me time to save up and to get
organized and budgeted.
-
NATASHA CHEN: They're determined to take a trip,
in spite of the sticker shock.
From here in California, where tourists are paying some
of the highest gas prices in the nation,
to higher airfares due to unprecedented demand,
to hire hotel rates, like here in Miami
Beach, where the average price is more than $500 a night.
On the Travel website Kayak, recent searches
show the average price of domestic flights
to Panama City, Florida, for example, is $494.
In March of 2019, that would have averaged just over $300.
The Khabar family flew from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
to Los Angeles.
- Once we got out here, we realized that things
are very expensive right now.
NATASHA CHEN: They decided against a rental car.
The average rental car in the US, according to Kayak,
averages $76 a day, more than $20 higher than two years ago.
But even without a rental car.
- We're actually spending more money in Uber
than we are in flying out here.
NATASHA CHEN: That's likely because regular gas
is on average more than $4 a gallon
this month, the highest of any month in history.
Up from $2.51 in March of 2019.
That's affecting the owner of Starline Tours, who
says the company typically spends $100 a day
on fuel for these buses, and now they're
spending $220 every day.
KAMI FARHADI: We've still maintained our prices
at the moment, but we're going to have
to look at going to full summer pricing right now,
rather than waiting until the summer.
NATASHA CHEN: Kayak shows hotel rates averaging about $300
per night, up nearly $70 since March of 2019.
Even theme parks will cost you more, from paid express lines
to pricier food.
- It is adding up.
It's expensive to just eat.
Because these boys don't-- they play around.
They don't play around.
They're hungry all the time.
ELAINE EDWARDS: People are accepting it and they're going.
Now, maybe they're making adjustments along the way.
NATASHA CHEN: While the cheapest single day Disney tickets
stayed the same price since 2019,
there are now fewer days priced at value season.
Meanwhile, a discount tracking website Mouse Savors,
shows the most expensive types of tickets at Disneyland
and Disney World during the busiest season,
jumped 11% or 12% from two years ago.
Wherever they go, however much it costs,
some families say they just need to get out of the house now,
and they'll scale back later.
- I think we will probably make a smaller
summer vacation because we made a big spring break vacation.
[music]
CARL AZUZ: Since the invention of the soft drink, which
probably dates back to Schweppes in the 1780s,
people and companies have been tinkering
with different flavors.
This one is going to sound either really
good or really nasty.
A cola company and a pancake company
have teamed up to produce Pepsi Maple Syrup.
IHOP is involved in the project.
Yes, it's going to be sweet, doubtful it's
going to be all natural.
Either way, it's not going to be in stores, at least at first.
2,000 winners of an online sweepstakes
will get their very own six pack.
Sometimes companies get Schwepped up in possibilities,
and Sprites in all the sugar they cane.
Not everyone's a Fanta that and not all of them
have the Moxie to step 7-up up make something Fresca.
But before someone Barq's at them
and thinks Shasta go to the doctor to Pepper him
with health questions, remember, soft drinks
are all big business.
I'm Carl Azuz.
Colchester is a town in Vermont and it's there we heard
from Colchester High School.
Let's go Lakers.
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