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Eric Fallas is a senior systems engineer who is testing out a prototype of a new spacesuit that NASA hopes to use on the International Space Station by 2026. The current suits used by NASA are from the 70s and are at the end of their useful life. Despite spending an estimated $420 million over a decade to create new suits, no operational suits have been produced. If the new suits are in use by the time of production, NASA will have spent over a billion dollars on the redesign and production.  NASA has been dealing with two major issues: lack of funding and no destination. In order to address this, they have contracted with commercial companies, such as Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace Industry Team, to make and maintain new suits. The current suits have 18,000 components and a small refrigerator-sized interior volume. In addition, there have been safety concerns due to the aging suits, such as an Italian astronaut nearly drowning in space due to a helmet malfunction. There have also been inventory issues, such as not having the proper suit sizes for an all-female spacewalk. The Office of Inspector General noted that only eleven of the original 18 primary Life Support System units remain in NASA's inventory for the ISS program.  NASA has awarded two contracts for the development of two new spacesuits, the Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services Contract (XEVAS). Axiom Space won the first contract worth $228.5 million to design suits for the Artemis missions and Collins Aerospace won the second contract for $97.2 million to design suits for the International Space Station. The suits follow a similar structure and have modernized components, such as a pressure garment system, a liquid cooling and ventilation garment and a Portable Life Support System. The companies also have access to data from NASA's own suit development efforts.  The suits are designed to fit the first to 99th percentile of astronauts using fewer parts and they weigh significantly less than the current emu. The helmet offers a better range of visibility and the upper torso is adjustable to help prevent shoulder injuries. The upper arm also provides a better range of motion. The contracts also incentivize the contractors to perform on cost and schedule and keep the expense to the government down.  Collins Aerospace is working with NASA to create a new generation of spacesuits that are more advanced than ever before. These suits will require 30% less hardware to be launched into space, resulting in decreased cost and training time. They are designed for future missions such as trips to Mars and the Moon, offering greater mobility, reduced mass, better connectivity, and improved ability to see and communicate with each other. They will also be dustproof, as dust is a huge challenge for lunar missions. Finally, the suits are being designed to withstand long-term missions. For these reasons, Collins Aerospace is working hard to create suits that will help astronauts explore farther than ever before.

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As tech layoffs spread, Yahoo Finance’s Jared Blikre discusses which industries could be hit next.

Digital activity uses a huge amount of electricity with semiconductors near the limit of their efficiency. Now scientists are racing to perfect new chips that use much less power and handle much more data.

When officials found $1 billion worth of cocaine onboard the container ship Gayane in 2019, it kicked off a fight between the US and the world's largest shipping carrier over drug trafficking.

In 2022, the Tennessee Titans of the NFL unveiled their plans for a new stadium in the heart of Nashville. At the price tag of $2.1 billion, the 1.7-million-square-foot stadium can house 60,000 screaming football fans.. The only caveat? Taxpayers will fund more than half of the stadium’s cost.: $500 million from the state and $760 million through revenue bonds issued by Nashville’s Metropolitan Sports Authority. Since 2000, public funds diverted to helping build professional sports stadiums and arenas have cost taxpayers $4.3 billion. While the NFL and team owners contend that building stadiums will provide economic growth for a city, economists and urban planners claim otherwise.

Twitter owner Elon Musk confirmed he will step down as the company’s CEO, but only when he identifies a successor, directly addressing for the first time a Twitter poll he created this week in which millions of users voted for his ouster. CNN’s Paul La Monica and Christine Romans report. #CNN #News

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed members of Congress after meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House during his first foreign trip since the war began. Watch his full speech here. #zelensky #zelenskyy #CNN

From real estate to space, Seattle's tech scene is awash in A.I. Hello World's Ashlee Vance meets up with Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman and Rendered.AI CEO Nathan Kundtz for the latest.

Traffic is a growing problem in many U.S. cities. Instead of adding more streets to accommodate cars, a growing movement is pushing to ban them in dense areas like New York City. This would give more space for bike lanes, bus routes and pedestrian plazas while also reducing noise and air pollution.

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia reigns over a giant desert, sitting on top of big pools of oil.  So why, then, is it attempting a hostile takeover of one of the world’s oldest sports — a game played on lush, irrigated expanses of turf, strategically placed water hazards and water-hungry putting greens?  Some of pro golf’s biggest names have been attracted by the deep pockets of the LIV Golf tour, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.  This fight — between the PGA and LIV — is very much about money. Billions and billions of dollars. It’s also about the future of Saudi Arabia, a rapidly changing country trying to position itself for a world that doesn’t run on oil, and its leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is seeking to burnish an image tarred by the gruesome murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.