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Artemis II astronauts nearly halfway to the moon; NASA shares stunning photos from Orion spacecraft
The four astronauts on the Artemis II mission are nearly halfway to the moon since launching Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center.
“Since [Thursday’s] trans-lunar injection burn to send the crew around the moon, the mission continues to perform well overall, and the crew is in great spirits,” Lakiesha Hawkins, acting deputy associate administrator for NASA’s exploration systems, said at a news conference Friday.
“Currently, the crew is more than 100,000 miles from Earth and about 150,000 miles to go away from the moon.
“We call amazing things that humans do moonshots for a reason, and, indeed, this is literally and symbolically our moonshot that we are in the middle of.”
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Hawkins also shared two photos taken by Cmdr. Reid Wiseman from the Orion spacecraft.
The first image, Hawkins said, shows a “backlit Earth revealing auroras as the crew heads toward the moon.”
She said it was taken by astronaut Wiseman from of a window on the Orion spacecraft, and it features two auroras and zodiacal light “at the bottom right. It’s visible as the Earth eclipses to sun.”
“It’s great to think — with the exception of our four friends — all of us are represented in this image,” Hawkins said.
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A second photo taken Thursday by Wiseman after the trans-lunar injection burn, which propels a spacecraft out of the Earth’s orbit, shows the terminator line, separating day from night on Earth.
“So, we continue to learn about our spacecraft as we operate it in deep space with crew for the first time, and it’s important to remind ourselves of that as we learn a little bit more day by day,” Hawkins said.
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Artemis II Ascent Flight Director Judd Frieling said, after the trans-lunar injection burn Thursday, the crew did an inspection of windows, planned medical conferences and, while they were asleep, the ground crew checked to see how the spacecraft was functioning.
And after the astronauts woke up Friday morning, they were able to talk to their families.
“We had planned a trajectory correction burn,” Frieling said. “The systems are doing so well now — navigation and propulsion systems together — that that was not needed. So, we’ll roll that into the next planned correction trajectory burn tomorrow.”
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Howard Hu, Orion’s program manager, said the subsystems on the spacecraft continue to perform well, the air revitalization system is “doing very well” and the propellant usage was within 5% of predicated usage limits.
He said they are working through one pressurization issue that relates to helium that pressurizes propellant tanks that push out the oxidizer and the fuel to make some of the major burns.
Hu said one branch had to be isolated, but it’s redundant and has no impact on the mission.
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“We’re able to do the rest of the burns across the mission without doing any regulation, what we call blowdown mode,” he said. “In other words, there’s enough helium pressure in the tanks in the oxidizer itself that we can push out the fuel without needing to regulate or require more helium from the helium tanks.”
Hu also showed a photo of part of the Earth seen through a window on the spacecraft, which he said was also taken by Wiseman.
“It just brings a lot of great emotion to me to see that picture being taken,” Hu said.
Hu showed another photo of the crew, joking that Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen looked like he wasn’t “working that hard, so I’m going to have to check to make sure if he’s doing anything more than lying there on the side here, but great to see the crew. Great to see their smiling faces and hear them talk about their experiences so far.”
Also on board the Orion capsule for the 10-day mission to fly around the moon is NASA Pilot Victor Glover and Mission Specialist Christina Koch.
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WWE star Kit Wilson expresses support for Cody Rhodes after Pat McAfee promo, no animosity after ‘toxic’ move
Cody Rhodes was running hot earlier this month after Pat McAfee was inserted into his WrestleMania 42 feud with Randy Orton just days before their match was set to take place.
Kit Wilson was the punching bag after McAfee kicked Rhodes in the groin, ripped the pro wrestling business and said that Orton was going to save it. Wilson had just finished a match with The Miz against Damian Priest and R-Truth when Rhodes rushed the ring.
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Rhodes targeted Wilson with a Cross Rhodes and cut the scathing promo on McAfee.
Wilson told Fox News Digital that he didn’t know Rhodes was coming and that he would be targeted. However, he praised Rhodes’ message.
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“I was just trying to look out for my mentor, The Miz. I was just trying to do the right thing by him. Yeah, I had no idea it was coming,” Wilson said. “It was interesting because I think Cody was speaking from the heart there and what he had to say was quite informational and important in the current zeitgeist of the world.”
Wilson said that he did think Rhodes’ decision to take his anger out on him was “toxic” but he had no ill will toward “The American Nightmare.”
“So yeah, I think he was taking his anger out on me,” Wilson continued. “I don’t appreciate it. I do think it was toxic. But I see the side of him that had a lot of things to say. In my own way, I think I’ve forgiven him.”
Rhodes and Orton will battle for the Undisputed WWE Championship on Night 1 of WrestleMania 42. McAfee is sure to be at ringside in Orton’s corner, much to Rhodes and fans’ chagrin.
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Charlie Kirk podcast pans Utah Valley University citing ‘safety concerns’ in scrapping controversial speaker
The producers of “The Charlie Kirk Show” panned the stated reason Utah Valley University (UVU) canceled the commencement speaker invitation of author and educator Sharon McMahon, whose selection sparked outrage among supporters of the late conservative leader, who was murdered on its campus.
On Thursday, UVU issued a statement saying, “Due to increased safety concerns related to the speaker and in consultation with public safety professionals and Sharon McMahon, Utah Valley University has decided to proceed without a featured commencement speaker for this year’s ceremony.”
The statement didn’t sit well with podcast co-hosts Andrew Kolvet and Blake Neff.
“Here’s what’s annoying,” Neff reacted. “They say it’s not because ‘Oh, we picked a terrible speaker and that was our bad.’ They say they have ‘increased safety concerns’ about what happened.”
“Basically it’s our fault we were engaged in menacing behavior, they say,” Neff continued. “But regardless, it’s a speaker they shouldn’t have chosen… Nobody was making any threats about this. Not on this show or anywhere else.”
“We were saying it was a bad idea,” Kolvet responded before saying, “Hallelujah.”
Representatives for UVU did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital‘s request for comment.
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UVU came under fire for its selection of McMahon, who attacked Kirk just days after his assassination.
“Millions of people feel they were harmed, and the murder that was horrific and should never have happened does not magically erase what was said or done,” McMahon wrote on X at the time.
The now-deleted social media post sent two days after Kirk’s death also included a pair of quotes that many Kirk supporters said were taken out of context.
“It’s important to remember that the incredible tragedy of a public assassination does not erase the harm many experienced from his words, and the ensuing actions his followers took,” McMahon said.
The university’s selection of McMahon as its commencement speaker drew outrage among Kirk’s supporters. A spokesperson for McMahon declined comment.
Her team previously dismissed the notion that she celebrated Kirk’s death, telling Utah outlets that she “unequivocally condemned the murder of Charlie Kirk, repeatedly and publicly, calling his death a tragedy and stressing that public debate must never be met with violence.
The 31-year-old Turning Point USA co-founder was participating in a public speaking event sponsored by the campus chapter of Turning Point when he was shot and killed on Sept. 10. The suspect, now 23-year-old Tyler Robinson, was charged with seven counts, including aggravated murder. He faces the death penalty if convicted.
Fox News’ Max Bacall contributed to this report.
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Doctors warn of ‘looksmaxxing’ dangers after influencer’s livestream emergency
“Clavicular,” the controversial “looksmaxxing” influencer, was reportedly hospitalized due to a suspected overdose Tuesday night during a livestream.
The Miami content creator, 20, posted a photo of his bloody face and commented on X Wednesday.
“Just got home, that was brutal. All of the substances are just [to] cope, trying to feel neurotypical while being in public, but obviously, that isn’t a real solution. The worst part of tonight was my face descending from the life support mask.”
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The influencer, whose real name is Braden Peters, was hospitalized after his livestream was cut short when he began slurring his words and repeating phrases, according to reports.
Looksmaxxing is a social media trend focused on enhancing appearance, ranging from basic skin care to extreme practices like hitting cheekbones with hammers to alter facial structure.
The potentially dangerous trend has been popular with young males, plastic surgeons told Fox News Digital.
“In my practice, we’ve seen it primarily in young men in their 20s,” Dr. Josef Hadeed, a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California, told Fox News Digital. “We have had a few women, but I’d say by and large, it’s been mostly men who have come into our office wanting these various looksmaxxing procedures.”
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“Patients are increasingly seeking to align how they look with how they feel,” he said. “The difference today is that the tools and technologies available to achieve that have never been more advanced or more accessible.”
Looksmaxxing can be divided into two categories: “softmaxxing” and “hardmaxxing,” according to Hadeed. Softmaxxing is a more simple, non-invasive approach to improving one’s looks.
“It’s really like self-care or grooming – things like going to the gym on a regular basis to try to improve your body composition, or using various skincare products to try to improve your skin texture,” the surgeon said.
Softmaxxing techniques – which can also include teeth whitening, beard grooming, or upgrading a wardrobe or hairstyle – are not usually a problem, according to Hadeed. Hardmaxxing, which involves more extreme measures, can have riskier consequences.
Some individuals in the looksmaxxing online community do things like “bone smashing,” Hadeed said.
“[It’s] literally what it sounds like, where you smash the bones to change the facial structure, and that is obviously not recommended because it can lead to potential complications,” he warned.
“Once you cross that line and start getting into more extreme things, I feel like that’s where most plastic surgeons should draw the line.”
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Dr. C. Bob Basu, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, said the biggest safety risks with the looksmaxxing trend come from pursuing treatments without proper medical guidance.
“Social media can make procedures seem easy or risk-free, but even minimally invasive treatments carry real risks if performed incorrectly or by an untrained provider,” the Houston-based plastic surgeon told Fox News Digital.
To achieve quality results, it is critical to be treated by a board-certified plastic surgeon who understands both safety and anatomy, Basu advised.
The convergence of social media, constant digital visibility and “unprecedented access to aesthetic treatments” – along with a cultural shift toward optimizing wellness and longevity – are fueling the looksmaxxing trend, according to Basu.
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Hadeed agreed, noting that social media puts pressure on individuals to look perfect.
“People are constantly comparing themselves to other people online,” he told Fox News Digital. “It can quickly develop into body dysmorphia for a lot of people, and that’s when they start pursuing more and more procedures that they don’t need by any stretch – it’s kind of like keeping up with the Joneses.”
Dr. Nancy Frye, a professor in the psychology department at Long Island University in Brookville, New York, also weighed in on what’s driving the looksmaxxing craze.
“We figure out how attractive we might be by comparing what we see in ourselves to what we see in others,” she told Fox News Digital. “This social comparison is especially problematic with social media and filters, as people compare themselves to filtered versions of others.”
While experts warn of the risks of looksmaxxing, they say a thoughtful approach can have some benefits, including pride in one’s appearance and health.
The most tangible benefits are associated with the softmaxxing approach, which includes following a fitness routine, eating a clean diet and following regular skin care routines, according to Hadeed.
With healthy guidance, aesthetic care can “enhance confidence and self-esteem, helping patients feel more aligned with their sense of self,” Basu added.
Both plastic surgeons emphasized the importance of taking a responsible approach when considering the looksmaxxing trend.
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“The goal should always be thoughtful self-improvement, not perfection,” Basu said. “It should never be about looking like someone else or a filtered version of yourself, but rather about becoming a confident, natural and authentic version of you.”
Anyone considering this trend should consult a licensed healthcare professional rather than relying on advice from social media influencers, the doctors advised.
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