| SpaceX and NASA send four astronauts to the International Space Station; Tokyo declares a state of emergency due to Covid-19. Tonight's Sentences was written by Greg Svirnovskiy. | | | | | | | Four astronauts lifted off from Cape Canaveral this morning | | | | | Kit MacAvoy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images | | - A rocket with four astronauts took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, this morning, the third crewed flight launched by SpaceX. The private company led by Elon Musk has now sent 10 people to space in under a year, surpassing the total number of astronauts put there by the Mercury program that began over 60 years ago. [Reuters / Steve Gorman]
- The flight was the first to make use of a previously flown rocket booster and aircraft. Both were refurbished, as part of SpaceX's endeavor to make space travel less costly. The Crew Dragon capsule, called Endeavor, was previously used in SpaceX's first mission in May 2020. [CNN / Jackie Wattles]
- The rocket is headed for the International Space Station, where its four astronauts will join the seven currently there. The astronauts on this flight come from three different countries, making it the most diverse flight crew ever sent to space by NASA. [WSJ / Benjamin Katz]
- The new crew's main task will be to test how cells react to various drugs and health conditions while in microgravity. And with so many scientists in the ISS right now, they'll get a lot of help in configuring their experiments in an environment like space. "When you get all those measurements from space, in the same time, same place, it's really powerful for science," said Annmarie Eldering, a NASA project scientist. [The Verge / Joey Roulette]
- Crew-1, a team of SpaceX astronauts who've been on the ISS for the past six months, will head back to Earth shortly. In the meantime, engineers at SpaceX will get to work building a $2.89 billion moon lander, the latest NASA-led effort set to send people back to the moon. [NASA]
| | | Tokyo and Osaka are in states of emergency as Japan prepare to host the Olympics | | - Japanese cities Tokyo and Osaka have been placed in states of emergency by Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide. This is the third lockdown for Tokyo since the onset of the pandemic, but at two weeks, it is set to be the shortest. Last year, lockdowns lasted for seven weeks. [Bloomberg / Isabel Reynolds and Lisa Du]
- The spread shows little sign of slowing, though, fueled by a new variant. The nationwide tally of new infections sat at above 5,000 for the third consecutive day Friday, led by Osaka's 1,000 and Tokyo's 759. All told, Japan has reported 500,000 cases since last February, and 10,000 deaths. [The Hill / Lexi Lonas]
- The lockdown is less strict than previous ones, as it is meant primarily to cap any surge in cases Japan might face amid its annual Golden Week celebration. Spectators will be barred from concerts or sporting events. Restaurants will be forced to close after 8 pm and buses to limit passengers. [Kyodo News / Ryotaro Nakamura]
- It's all part of a goal to make sure Japan can remain in a position to host the Summer Olympics, postponed from 2020 and set to begin just three months from now. Prime Minister Suga has faced criticism for, some say, caring more about the Olympics than about safety. [Reuters / Chang-ran Kim]
- This isn't the only Olympic news that made waves this week. On Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee announced that taking a knee or raising a fist while inside an Olympic stadium will continue to be against the rules in 2021. The Rule of 50, which bans Olympic athletes from any "demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda," was overwhelmingly reapproved by IOC-consulted athletes. [Reuters / Karolos Grohmann]
| | | | | | | | | [Independent / Danielle Zoellner] - Louisiana is no longer asking for full shipments of Covid-19 vaccine doses, and many counties in Kansas are turning down more doses as demand becomes even lower than supply in some red states. [AP / Leah Willingham, Heather Hollingsworth, and Michelle R. Smith]
- President Joe Biden will hit 100 days in office next week. He spent his first quarter as president helping over 200 million Americans get vaccinated, passing a massive Covid relief bill, pitching two infrastructure packages, and introducing a slew of executive orders meant to curtail the use of guns. [FiveThirtyEight]
- Iran is facing its worst wave of Covid-19 yet as the country continues to grapple with American sanctions issued by the Trump administration and not yet waived by Biden. [AP / Nasser Karimi and Aya Batrawy]
- When a container ship got stuck in the Suez Canal last month, blocking a major international shipping route, it led to a shortage of an unexpected item: garden gnomes. [New York Daily News / Theresa Braine]
| | | | | Support Vox Sentences | | "Vox Sentences is my daily newspaper...I've learned a lot from these little gifts in my email, and appreciate the work of the Vox staff that helps contribute to a better and more informed world." - Madeline, Vox Contributor - | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | "We expect daily vaccination rates will moderate and fluctuate. We've gotten vaccinations to the most at risk and those most eager to get vaccinated as quickly as possible. And we will continue those efforts, but we know reaching other populations will take time and focus." | | | | | | | | | | | Film critic Alissa Wilkinson and critic-at-large Emily VanDerWerff do an epic speed run through the eight films nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars (Sunday, April 25, on ABC). In this Best Picture battle royal, Alissa and Emily go head to head and each make a case for four films — why they deserve to win Best Picture and why you should watch them before the big night. [Spotify] | | | | | | | | |  | This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com. Manage your email preferences, or unsubscribe to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox's unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036.
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