A Crew Dragon spacecraft docked with the International Space Station on Valentine's Day, bringing the total number of astronauts on board to seven and restoring the station to a full crew complement, according to Ars Technica. The arrival of Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway of NASA, Sophie Adenot of the European Space Agency, and Andrey Fedyaev of Roscosmos, as part of the Crew 12 mission, marked the completion of the crew.
The number of astronauts on the station fluctuates, but this event signifies a return to a full complement. Meanwhile, NASA is working to resolve issues with its Space Launch System rocket before the Artemis III mission, which is slated to be the first crewed mission to land on the Moon in over 50 years, according to Ars Technica. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated the agency is looking at ways to prevent the fueling problems that have plagued the rocket. As for Artemis II, which remains on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA is preparing for a second countdown rehearsal as soon as next week to confirm whether technicians have resolved a hydrogen fuel leak that cut short a practice countdown run earlier this month.
In other news, a recent study showed that Mars was warm and wet billions of years ago, contradicting the theory that this era was mainly cold and icy, according to Ars Technica. This finding has implications for the idea that life could have developed on the planet at this time. The study relates to Mars during the Noachian epoch, which extended from about 4.1 to 3.7 billion years ago.
The hospitality industry in Southeast Asia is experiencing rapid growth, with the sector projected to reach roughly $208 billion by 2033, up from $136 billion in 2024, according to Deep Market Insights, a market research firm, as reported by Fortune. Hotel construction across Asia-Pacific is hitting record highs, with the regions pipeline (excluding China) growing to more than 2,200 projects and over 430,000 rooms by late 2025, a year-on-year increase of around 9% in projects and 6% in rooms, with Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia leading the way.
Finally, the impact of AI on productivity is being debated, with some experts suggesting that the "J-curve" is entering the discussion, according to Fortune. This concept suggests that general-purpose technologies like AI don't produce immediate benefits, but rather, massive investment comes first, obscuring early gains. Apollo Chief Economist Torsten Slok noted that employment, productivity, and inflation stats are still not showing signs of the new technology.
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