Tag Archives: capsule

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 & 4 Review: A Totally Rad Skateboarding Time Capsule | Games

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It’s almost amusing how effortlessly this remake of skateboarding games taps into my millennial nostalgia. The moment Ace shows up in the skater montage on the title screen, I’m transported back to the early 2000s, reliving memories of playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games in the messy bedrooms of teenage boys. Over two decades later, I can practically smell the lingering scent of Lynx Body Spray.

In 2020, the initial titles from Tony Hawk received a refined release driven by the resurgence of Y2K nostalgia. These games are combined into one package featuring refined controls and a refreshed aesthetic that preserves the original’s gritty vibe, a sentiment echoed in the releases of 3 and 4. Levels, skaters, and parks from the 2001 THPS3 and 2002 THPS4 are all included, alongside new faces from the sport, such as Riley Hawk.




“You can connect unconventional and dangerous combos.” Photo: Activision

I vividly recall these locations—factories, university campuses, snowy Canadian skate parks, and time capsules nestled in central London. Curiously, the zoo level features empty animal exhibits (why?), but otherwise, these tightly packed urban obstacle courses are quite familiar. (Sadly, the Skaterpunk soundtrack is not what it used to be—there are numerous omissions and disappointments, although some new tracks do help to soften the blow.) Between grabs, spins, flips, and manuals, you can string together wild and daring combos across the maps, discovering hidden semi-pipes amongst power lines and walls.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/J3nZ1FKLwHU?wmode=opaque&feature=oembed" title="Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 – Official Launch Trailer| Xbox Games Showcase 2025" height="480" width="854" allowfullscreen="




Check out the trailer for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4

I have to admit, it’s not easy. My initial hours in these games were quite the experience. I struggled with the controller, falling over repeatedly as I tried to hit the minimum score during the two-minute runs. Have I always been this bad at these games? Regardless of my past muscle memory, I’m slowly piecing together my virtual skating abilities. There are now more complex movements and lateral tricks, making it feel like a more arcade-like experience compared to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, serving as a solid entry point for new players.

Like any real sport, it requires patience and practice: once the combos started flowing after several hours, it felt like a true release. I still don’t believe there’s a better skating game than the classic Tony Hawk.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 will be available on July 11th, priced at £39.99.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Boeing Starliner capsule astronauts from NASA set to return home in nine months

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NASA Astronaut Suni Williams and Butch Willmore have finally returned home.

The astronauts, who had initially planned to visit the International Space Station for just a week, ended up staying for over nine months and are now scheduled to leave on Tuesday.

Their journey back to Earth marks the end of a unique chapter in spaceflight history. Williams and Wilmore gained recognition when they embarked on the first crew test flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule in June. However, issues with the vehicle’s thruster during docking with the space station led to NASA returning the Starliner to Earth without anyone on board.

As a result, Williams and Wilmore had to extend their stay, but they are now set to depart on Tuesday at 1:05am aboard the SpaceX Dragon Capsule. The astronauts are expected to splash down off the Florida coast at 5:57pm ET.

Joining them on the return flight are NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian astronaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

The timing of their return on Tuesday was determined based on optimal conditions expected for the evening of March 18th, as stated in a NASA statement.

The four-person crew arrived at the space station in September aboard a SpaceX vehicle, carrying Hague, Gorbunov, and two empty seats for their colleagues. Williams and Wilmore stayed behind to allow Hague and Gorbunov to complete their mission.

Despite the challenges they faced, Williams and Wilmore have embraced their extended stay in space and have enjoyed their time orbiting the Earth.

In a recent news briefing, Williams and Wilmore chose to focus on their mission rather than engage in politics. Williams expressed her disagreement with Elon Musk’s suggestion that the US should halt operations on the International Space Station earlier than planned.

“I think we’re thriving right now,” she said. “It’s not the right time to abandon it.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

NASA reveals astronauts stranded in space will wait for SpaceX spacecraft instead of returning in Boeing capsule.

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NASA announced on Saturday that SpaceX will bring home the two astronauts who have been stranded on the International Space Station since early June due to issues with Boeing’s spacecraft. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will return to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft instead of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. This decision follows months of uncertainty within the space agency regarding the safe return of the crew members on a mission initially planned to last eight days.

The problems with the Starliner spacecraft have posed a significant setback for Boeing’s space program, which has been struggling to keep up with SpaceX. The Starliner program was already over budget and behind schedule before the launch of Wilmore and Williams in June.

Top NASA officials, led by Administrator Bill Nelson, held a formal review in Houston and based their decision on the results of tests conducted in orbit and on the ground. The announcement to choose SpaceX for the astronauts’ return was made during a press conference at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

Although the return plans have been finalized, Wilmore and Williams will remain on the space station for approximately six more months before coming back in February. NASA revealed that two seats on SpaceX’s next launch, Crew 9, will be left empty to accommodate the astronauts on their return journey.

The Crew 9 mission is scheduled to launch on September 24 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Meanwhile, the troubled Starliner spacecraft will return to Earth without its crew.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Dreamsettler: Exploring the Pre-Facebook Internet Through a Gaming Time Capsule

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IIt's been five years since Tendershoot's wacky '90s internet simulator Hypnospace Outlaw, and this spiritual sequel was announced two years ago. In that time, as tech moguls buy up social media giants, Reddit gets monetized (and effectively censored) against the will of its user base, and AI becomes more and more prevalent, millennials' yearning for the lawless, algorithm-free days of the early internet is only getting stronger. At least, that's how creative director Jay Tholen feels.

“I knew things were bad then, but I didn't think it would get this bad,” Thoren says of the current state of the World Wide Web.

Both Hypnospace Outlaw and Dreamsettler are set in an alternate world where people browse the internet while they sleep. In the first game, you're put in the shoes of a forum moderator, helping to keep internet users safe by fighting piracy, harassment and illegal activity. In Dreamsettler, set between 2003 and 2005, players have more powers, this time playing as a private investigator looking to make a name for themselves.

It starts with players setting up their own page and choosing which part of the web they want to base themselves in, like Camp Rowdy, which Tholen describes as “kind of like Good Time Valley, but with a bit more of a country subculture.” Low-risk deals help build your reputation. Eventually, Sleepnet, the company behind Dreamsettler, will ask you to unearth something for them, and other powerful companies will start seeking your services, too.

Imagine you've been asked to investigate a murder that may be linked to a conspiracy theorist's personal web page. You'd start by skimming the news article to find the date of the accident, then look at people's pages around that date to see if they have any clues that might lead you to the crime.

After two years of development, there's still no release date in sight for Dreamsettler. “No game I've ever made has been in this situation,” Tholen says, only half-joking. “Publishers have given up on setting deadlines. They don't like to make too specific plans because it makes it very tedious, and they don't allow for iterative design.”

Besides bumping up the game's resolution from 480×270 pixels to 960×540 pixels (if you remember Windows 95, you know that was once a huge amount of screen real estate for a Web page), one of the hardest things for Tholen was pleasing everyone: He hopes Dreamsettler will appeal to both those who lived in the early days of the Internet (many of whom played Hypnospace Outlaw) and those too young to remember what a dial-up modem sounded like.

“I always have this rule implicit in my head,” he explains. “What you need to know to enjoy Dreamsettler needs to be found within the game. There's no 'you don't know what you don't know' reference. The game needs to have that information accessible somewhere so that every player can enjoy it.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

SpaceX capsule found in North Carolina confirmed by NASA as space debris

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The trunk, situated at the bottom of the Crew Dragon spacecraft beneath the astronauts’ seating area, typically carries cargo. It is equipped with solar panels for power supply “during flight and while on station,” as mentioned by the astronauts on the SpaceX website.

This part of the spacecraft will detach just before re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Despite expectations of complete incineration in the atmosphere, the discovery of this section and other parts suggests some components may survive the fiery descent.

SpaceX has not yet responded to inquiries for comments.

The debris Klontz found was charred and covered in woven carbon fiber, weighing approximately 90 pounds. Initially, it seemed too cumbersome for one person to handle, raising safety concerns.

“It’s a sight rarely seen by the general public,” said Klontz. “You’ve seen spaceships and such on TV, but witnessing it up close is a different experience.”

Several small pieces have also been discovered in local residents’ gardens in nearby towns, as reported by local news outlets.

“NASA has not reported any structural damage or injuries due to this finding,” stated the agency in an official release.

NASA verified that the debris originated from the fuselage of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule.Glamping Collective

According to NASA, the debris is from SpaceX’s Crew 7 mission, launched on August 26, 2023, and returned after six months of space station operation.

NASA also reported finding sections of a trunk believed to be from a previous SpaceX mission in a farmer’s field in Saskatchewan, Canada, last month.

In another incident, debris from an unmanned SpaceX mission delivering supplies to the space station landed in Saudi Arabia, NASA disclosed.

Instances of wreckage from the Crew Dragon fuselage falling in Colorado last year, as well as a similar occurrence in Australia in 2022, were also noted by NASA.

In March, a metallic space debris fragment (unrelated to SpaceX spacecraft) that collided with a home in Naples, Florida, came from a cargo pallet intentionally released from the International Space Station.

A metal object used to attach batteries for the International Space Station to a cargo pallet crashed into a home in Naples, Florida, on March 8.National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

The Florida family who owns the home is suing NASA, alleging damages and mental stress caused by the incident.

In regards to the lawsuit, NASA’s space operations spokesman Jimi Russell stated via email that “it is not appropriate for NASA to comment on pending litigation.”

While it is common for space agencies and companies to incinerate defunct equipment in the atmosphere, occasional parts do survive re-entry. With most of Earth covered by oceans, the risk of space debris falling in inhabited areas is low, but recent events have raised concerns about potential risks as space launches increase in frequency.

If anyone encounters what they suspect to be SpaceX debris, NASA encourages them to contact SpaceX’s debris hotline at 1-866-623-0234 or recovery@spacex.com.

The Crew Dragon capsule, still attached to its fuselage, is currently docked at the International Space Station and is set to return to Earth with its crew later this summer, according to NASA.

This unusual object was discovered on a mountain trail in North Carolina.Glamping Collective

NASA intends to collaborate with SpaceX to explore “further solutions in understanding the discovered debris.”

“NASA and SpaceX are committed to ensuring the safety of the public, astronauts, and ground crew,” NASA affirmed.

The space junk fragment is currently showcased in a glass case at The Glamping Collective; thus far, neither SpaceX nor NASA has requested its removal, according to Klontz.

“Every time I see it, I’m amazed,” shared Klontz. “To imagine that it was launched from Florida, journeyed into space, returned, and part of it flew over North Carolina is truly incredible.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com