If you have Cancer, Your Doctor May Treat You With a Medicine made from Silver. Shocked? Its Cheaper than Alternatives Made from Platinum.

UJ announces 'promising' discovery of anti-cancer drugs

"However‚ UJ3 requires a 10 times lower dose to kill cancer cells. It also focuses more narrowly on cancer cells‚ so that far fewer healthy cells are killed‚" she said. Apart from needing a much lower dose than an industry standard‚ UJ3 is also much less toxic‚ the university statement said.

From article, (silver thiocyanate phosphine complex among these‚ called UJ3‚ has been successfully tested in rats and in human cancer cells in the laboratory.

In research published in Biometals‚ the university states that UJ3 is shown to be as effective against human esophageal cancer cells‚ as a widely-used chemotherapy drug in use today. Esophageal cancer cells are known to become resistant to current forms of chemotherapy.

“The UJ3 complex is as effective as the industry-standard drug Cisplatin in killing cancer cells in laboratory tests done on human breast cancer and melanoma‚ a very dangerous form of skin cancer‚ as well‚” Professor Marianne Cronjé‚ Head of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Johannesburg‚ said in a statement.

“However‚ UJ3 requires a 10 times lower dose to kill cancer cells. It also focuses more narrowly on cancer cells‚ so that far fewer healthy cells are killed‚” she said.

Apart from needing a much lower dose than an industry standard‚ UJ3 is also much less toxic‚ the university statement said.

If UJ3 becomes a chemotherapy drug in future‚ the university researchers believe that the lower dose required‚ lower toxicity and greater focus on cancer cells will mean fewer side effects from cancer treatment.

UJ3 appears to target the mitochondria‚ resulting in programmed cell death to kill cancer cells – a process called apoptosis. When a cancer cell dies by apoptosis‚ the result is a neat and tidy process where the dead cell’s remains are “recycled”‚ not contaminating healthy cells around them‚ and not inducing inflammation.

Certain existing chemotherapy drugs are designed to induce apoptosis‚ rather than “septic” cell death which is called necrosis‚ for this reason.

Cancer cells grow much bigger and faster‚ and make copies of themselves much faster‚ than healthy cells do. In this way they create cancerous tumors. To do this‚ they need far more energy than healthy cells do.

UJ3 targets this need for energy‚ by shutting down the “powerhouses” of a cancer cell‚ the mitochondria.

The complex then causes the release of the “executioner” protein‚ an enzyme called caspase-3‚ which goes to work to dismantle the cell’s command centre and structural supports‚ cutting it up for recycling in the last stages of apoptosis.

The university said the UJ3 complex and the others in the family are based on silver. "This makes the starter materials for synthesizing the complex far more economical than a number of industry-standard chemotherapy drugs based on platinum."

Prof Meijboom said: “These complexes can be synthesized with standard laboratory equipment‚ which shows good potential for large scale manufacture. The family of silver thiocyanate phosphine compounds is very large. We were very fortunate to test UJ3‚ with is unusually ‘flat’ chemical structure‚ early on in our exploration of this chemical family for cancer treatment.”)

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Pumped Storage Hydro, 40-60 Years in Age, Get a Renewed Look. With Projects to be Built Out West Due To Increased Use of Intermittent Solar and Wind Power, There is a Need to Find Ways to Store Electrical Power on a Massive Scale

Who says water and electricity don't mix? South Carolina lake has role in state's solar future

PEAK - Look closely at the highway bridge crossing the Broad River, and you can just make out a sign of how much electricity South Carolina used this morning. The river is running low, far below the high-water mark stained on the pilings. But a few inches above the surface, the bridge is still damp.

 From article, (When South Carolina Electric & Gas has more power than it needs, it uses the excess to pump water from a river-fed reservoir into Lake Monticello. When demand surges, it sends the water gushing back out, spinning turbines and generating electricity as it flows.

That's what happened on a recent morning. It was chilly, so South Carolinians turned on their heat pumps, SCE&G produced more electricity, and downstream, the reservoir and the Broad River slowly rose.

Lake Monticello has quietly performed this ebb-and-flow role for more than four decades — storing and delivering electricity again and again.

For most of that time, the work of the "pumped-storage plant" named Fairfield has been tied to big power plants that burn natural gas and coal, letting them run at full throttle and storing the excess.

At night, when electricity demand tapers off, the pumps on Lake Monticello spin into action to prepare for the morning surge.

Federal regulators are taking a fresh look at the hydroelectric project before its license runs out in the summer of 2020. SCE&G says that getting that license extended is "critical" to the future of South Carolina's electric grid.

That's because solar energy is making up more and more of the utility's electric generation base. For the most part, solar power isn't stored, so its output can't be controlled.

Which is to say, it would be helpful to have a giant battery of sorts that keeps electricity production steady as solar power fades in and out with the sun.

In SCE&G's words, Lake Monticello is becoming an "important asset for grid stability, reliability and power quality."

Rather than just fill the body at night, the company says excess solar capacity would enable it to also pump water in while the sun is out and release it when people get home from work and start fiddling with their thermostats.

Big energy storage systems have become increasingly important in the utility industry as renewable power has become more prevalent.

Utilities are experimenting with all sorts of concepts that would let them tap electricity when it's needed rather than when it's created. Among them: giant banks of batteries, vats of molten salt, caverns filled with compressed air. Each performs essentially the same task that the Fairfield project does.

But the old standby has been reservoirs like Lake Monticello. The U.S. has about three dozen of them, most of them built 40 to 60 years ago.

Utilities are interested in building more, mostly out West: So many projects are in the pipeline now that if they were all completed they could nearly double the nation's pumped-storage capacity, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

South Carolina has the second-most pumped-storage capacity in the country, including a lake that reaches into North Carolina. They were built in a different energy era, when virtually all the state's electric generation came from fossil fuels and nuclear reactors that are difficult to shut down and crank up.

The projects planned elsewhere are geared toward solar and wind power, which face similar challenges: Utilities can't control how much electricity they produce at any given moment. That's led to renewed interest in building hydro plants that they can control with the flick of switch.

To be sure, storing renewable energy hasn't been much of an issue in South Carolina because until recently, there hasn't been much renewable energy to keep around.

Solar power began taking off only in the last few years in the Palmetto State, now home to one of the fastest-growing solar industries in the country.

But by the end of the year, the sun is expected to produce as much electricity in South Carolina as a nuclear reactor. And that power will have to be stored somewhere if it's not used immediately. )

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Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi, are betting on a Lithium Solid State Battery for Their Electric Cars. But, Who Makes It? And Is It The Real Deal?

Could We Finally Be Close to A Major Breakthrough In Solid State Battery?

Axios reports that some of the world's biggest industrial companies including Samsung, Japan's Hitachi and an alliance of auto giants consisting of Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi have collectively invested $65 million in Massachusetts-based Ionic Materials.

 From article, (Axios reports that some of the world’s biggest industrial companies including Samsung, Japan’s Hitachi and an alliance of auto giants consisting of Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi have collectively invested $65 million in Massachusetts-based Ionic Materials. The little-known startup claims to have developed a new composition of matter — a liquid crystal polymer — that can make solid-state batteries a viable alternative to lithium-ion and other high-energy storage technologies that are currently used. If Ionic’s claims including that of their battery being safer, offering better performance and having higher energy density than traditional lithium ion batteries (LBOs) available today are independently validated, they could solve most of the main problems that persist with solid state research.

Specifically speaking, Ionic’s researchers so far have claimed three major breakthroughs. First, they assert that lithium ions, as key components of the battery’s electrochemistry, move as fast if not faster through Ionic’s polymer than they would through a conventional liquid electrolyte system which needless to say, plays a vital role in the continued operation of the battery. This sounds somewhat contradictory since the polymer is a solid, but if validated, this claim would address a major concern associated with the creation of working solid-state batteries.

Another Ionic assertion is that unlike previous solid-state efforts which have been quite complex and expensive, the startups’ polymer works at an impressive 5 volts and can be manufactured simply and cheaply. Third, they’ve stated that all of this happens at room temperature, while most materials in solid-state research operate at about 60° C (140° F).

The main challenge to crating solid-state batteries, a goal which has been pursued for many decades by many research groups around the world and one that’s recently been propelled by the development of several structural families of highly conductive solid electrolytes, has been that of discovering a material with all of the right properties. Unfortunately, and despite a high-stake global race currently under way to create solid state technology, research for a more powerful product has not ventured, as yet, much beyond the lab. If Ionic Materials‘ claims of their plastic solid-state battery approach are validated, we could finally be closer to a revolutionary new type of tech.)

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A Large Supermarket in UK Wonders, "Will Shoppers Buy its 50% Recycled Water Bottle that is Partly Cloudy in Appearance? It Would be Beneficial to the Environment and Economy, Compared to 100% Clear New Plastic Water Bottles.

Co-op to switch own-brand water to 50% recycled plastic bottles

The Co-op supermarket plans to switch all of its own-brand water to 50% recycled plastic bottles in a move it expects will present an "ethical dilemma" to customers. The new bottles will have a cloudier and greyer appearance than those that do not contain recycled plastic and the Co-op said it accepted that they could test shoppers' environmentally conscious credentials.

 From article, (The Co-op supermarket plans to switch all of its own-brand water to 50% recycled plastic bottles in a move it expects will present an “ethical dilemma” to customers.

The new bottles will have a cloudier and greyer appearance than those that do not contain recycled plastic and the Co-op said it accepted that they could test shoppers’ environmentally conscious credentials.

The new bottles, which are 100% recyclable and sourced in the UK, will be in stores later this year.

The supermarket has estimated that the change to all of its own-brand still, sparkling and flavoured water bottles will save almost 350 tonnes of plastic every year.

Co-op Food’s chief executive, Jo Whitfield, said: “Our customers expect us to respond to this challenge and help them make more ethical choices, and we’re dedicated to doing just that.

“Making these changes will also create new uses for recycled materials which in turn gives our customers greater confidence in recycling.”

Iain Ferguson, Co-op environment manager, said: “Suppliers are working hard to make the bottle clearer – and they already have.

“In the meantime, our bottles will wear this greyish colour which I see as a badge of honour – we are part of the market for recycled products and are proud of that.”

The Co-op said it fully supported government plans announced this week for a deposit return scheme to cut plastic bottle waste.)

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Robert Zubrin, president of Pioneer Astronautics and the Mars Society, has a 4 year, $700 million dollar plan to get Astronauts to the Moon and Set Up a Moonbase. NASA Has No Such Plan.

Op-ed | Moon Direct: How to build a moonbase in four years - SpaceNews.com

The recent amazing success of the Falcon Heavy launch offers America an unprecedented opportunity to break the stagnation that has afflicted its human spaceflight program for decades. In short, the moon is now within reach. Here's how the mission plan could work. The Falcon Heavy can lift 60 tons to low Earth orbit (LEO).

 From article, (The Falcon Heavy can lift 60 tons to low Earth orbit (LEO). Starting from that point, a hydrogen/oxygen rocket-propelled cargo lander could deliver 12 tons of payload to the lunar surface.

We therefore proceed by sending two such landers to our planned base location. The best place for it would be at one of the poles, because there are spots at both lunar poles where sunlight is accessible all the time, as well as permanently shadowed craters nearby where water ice has accumulated. Such ice could be electrolyzed to make hydrogen-oxygen rocket propellant, to fuel both Earth-return vehicles as well as flying rocket vehicles that would provide the lunar base’s crew with exploratory access to most of the rest of the moon.

The first cargo lander carries a load of equipment, including a solar panel array, high-data-rate communications gear, a microwave power-beaming set up with a range of 100 kilometers, an electrolysis/refrigeration unit, two crew vehicles, a trailer, and a group of tele-operated robotic rovers. After landing, some of the rovers are used to set up the solar array and communications system, while others are used to scout out the landing area in detail, putting down radio beacons on the precise target locations for the landings to follow.

The second cargo lander brings out a 12-ton habitation module, loaded with food, spare spacesuits, scientific equipment, tools, and other supplies. This will serve as the astronauts’ house, laboratory, and workshop of the moon. Once it has landed, the rovers hook it up to the power supply and all systems are checked out. This done, the rovers are redeployed to do detailed photography of the base area and its surroundings. All this data is sent back to Earth, to aid mission planners and the science and engineering support teams, and ultimately forming the basis of a virtual reality program that will allow millions of members of the public to participate in the missions as well.

The base now being operational, it is time to send the first crew. A Falcon Heavy is used to deliver another cargo lander to orbit, whose payload consists of a fully fueled Lunar Excursion Vehicle (LEV). This craft consists of a two-ton cabin like that used by the Apollo-era Lunar Excursion Module mounted on a one-ton hydrogen/oxygen propulsion system filled with nine tons of propellant, capable of delivering it from the lunar surface to Earth orbit. A human-rated Falcon 9 rocket then lifts the crew in a Dragon capsule to LEO where they transfer to the LEV. Then the cargo lander takes the LEV, with the crew aboard, to the moon, while the Dragon remains behind in LEO.

After landing at the moon base, the crew completes any necessary set up operations and begins exploration. A key goal will be to travel to a permanently shadowed crater and, making use of power beamed to them from the base, use telerobots to mine water ice. Hauling this treasure back to the base in their trailer, the astronauts will feed the water into the electrolysis/refrigeration unit, which will transform it into liquid hydrogen and oxygen. These products will then be stored in the empty tanks of the cargo landers for future use — primarily as rocket propellant but also as a power supply for fuel cells and a copious source of life-support consumables.

Having spent a couple of months initiating such operations and engaging in additional forms of resource prospecting and scientific exploration, the astronauts will enter the LEV, take off and return to Earth orbit. There they will be met by a Dragon — either the one that took them to orbit in the first place or another that has just been launched to lift the crew following them — which will serve as their reentry capsule for the final leg of the journey back home.

Thus, each mission that follows will require just one $100 million Falcon Heavy launch and one $60 million Falcon 9 launch to accomplish. Once the base is well-established, there will be little reason not to extend surface stays to six months.

Assuming that cost of the mission hardware will roughly equal the cost to launch it, we should be able to create and sustain a permanently occupied lunar base at an ongoing yearly cost of less than $700 million. This is less than four percent of NASA’s current budget — or about a quarter of what is being spent yearly on the agency’s now obsolete Space Launch System program which has been going on for over a decade without producing a rocket.

 The astronauts will not be limited to exploring the local region around the base. Refueled with hydrogen and oxygen, the same LEV spacecraft used to travel to the moon and back can be used to fly from the base to anywhere else on the moon, land, provide on-site housing for an exploration sortie crew, and then return them to the base. We won’t just be getting a local outpost: we’ll be getting complete global access to an entire world.

Currently, NASA has no such plan.)

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New York State Takes the Easy Road on Congestion Pricing and Value Capture by Increasing Ride Sharing and Yellow Cab Surcharges per Ride.

Hailing a ride will be pricier thanks to Albany's budget deal

Get ready to reach deeper into your pockets for that Uber ride in the busiest parts of Manhattan. As part of a new $168.3 billion state budget deal, Albany lawmakers on Friday night agreed to the first congestion surcharge on ride-share and yellow-cab rides below 96th Street. The fee kicks in January 2019.

Me, "We were promised $1.5 billion raised to help the MTA Subways, and Buses. Then we were promised Billions more from Value Capture. Now, with the final budget passed, all we got, was $421 million thru A surcharges on Ride-share and Yellow Cab rides. 

When did everything go wrong? Between a noisy September-December, Governor Cuomo praising congestion pricing, and a reluctant Mayor De Blasio turning from a Congestion plan Comogen caterpillar into a supportive butterfly, January's NY's state of the state speech should have been a warning that congestion pricing was in for trouble in Albany again. 

Value capture was thrown against the wall. Congestion pricing kept getting sliced apart. From February until Yesterday things got quite quiet. 

Now we know. 

If you hail a taxi or ride in an Uber you will be hit with a new surcharge. AND, there may still be a fare hike in 2019. Was this a failure by the Governor? By Albany? Probably. 

Sure, It's great that the MTA will get $421 million a year, but that is almost three times less than congestion pricing would have brought in and maybe ten times less than with Value Capture. Anybody hoping for new capital projects or a rebuilding of existing lines knows how far $421 million will go.  
-----------> This far for $421 Million.

As opposed to this far:  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> 1.5+ Billions.  I could go on, but I think you get the point.

The Governor failed us, Albany Failed us. In fact the one person who could care less, NY Mayor De Blasio, is probably celebrating with a glass of wine, while burning pictures of Cuomo. He got nothing out of the deal because it wasn't his proposal. He can claim, politically, 'not his problem' talk to the Governor or Albany."

From article, (Get ready to reach deeper into your pockets for that Uber ride in the busiest parts of Manhattan.

As part of a new $168.3 billion state budget deal, Albany lawmakers on Friday night agreed to the first congestion surcharge on ride-share and yellow-cab rides below 96th Street.

The fee kicks in January 2019. It’ll cost an extra $2.75 to hail an Uber or other for-hire vehicle in the congestion zone; cabs will set riders back $2.50; and pooled-ride services such as Via will take another 75 cents.

Officials said they expect the added charges to generate about $421 million a year for the cash-strapped MTA.

To make sure the city doesn’t divert transportation funds to other purposes, the state included a provision allowing it to seize the congestion payments if necessary.

“In the event the City of New York fails to make any payment in full, the Comptroller will collect or intercept such funds necessary from certain revenue sources of the City of New York,” according to a memo outlining the deal.) 

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FCC Formally Approves SpaceX's Global, Broadband, Internet, Satellite Network

Elon Musk's SpaceX gains formal approval for satellite broadband network

Elon Musk's SpaceX has been given formal approval by US telecoms regulators to build a global broadband network using satellites. "This is the first approval of a US-licensed satellite constellation to provide broadband services using a new generation of low-Earth orbit satellite technologies," the Federal Communications Commission said in a statement.

 From article, (About 14 million rural Americans and 1.2 million Americans on tribal lands lack mobile broadband even at relatively slow speeds.

Over the past year, the FCC has approved requests by OneWeb, Space Norway and Telesat to access the US market to provide broadband services using satellite technology that the FCC said “holds promise to expand internet access in remote and rural areas across the country”.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been given formal approval by US telecoms regulators to build a global broadband network using satellites.

“This is the first approval of a US-licensed satellite constellation to provide broadband services using a new generation of low-Earth orbit satellite technologies,” the Federal Communications Commission said in a statement.

The system proposed by privately held SpaceX, as Space Exploration Holdings is known, will use 4,425 satellites, the FCC said.

Ajit Pai, the FCC chairman, endorsed the SpaceX effort in February, saying: “Satellite technology can help reach Americans who live in rural or hard-to-serve places where fibre-optic cables and cell towers do not reach.”

On Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration said SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a communications satellite on 2 April at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Musk, who is also the founder and chief executive of Tesla, said in 2015 that SpaceX planned to launch a satellite-internet business that would help fund a future city on Mars.

SpaceX wanted to create a “global communications system” that Musk compared to “rebuilding the internet in space”. It would be faster than traditional internet connections, he said.

“This is an important step toward SpaceX building a next-generation satellite network that can link the globe with reliable and affordable broadband service, especially reaching those who are not yet connected,” Gwynne Shotwell of SpaceX said.)

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We Could be Entering a Time Where CO2, Emitted from Power Plants, Does Not Have to Go Into the Atmosphere. It Can Be Changed Into Useful Substances.

Once we can capture CO2 emissions, here's what we could do with it

The carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from power plants each year doesn't have to go into the atmosphere. Researchers are optimistic that within the next decade we will be able to affordably capture CO2 waste and convert it into useful molecules for feedstock, biofuels, pharmaceuticals, or renewable fuels.

From article, (The thousands of metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from power plants each year doesn't have to go into the atmosphere. Researchers are optimistic that within the next decade we will be able to affordably capture CO2 waste and convert it into useful molecules for feedstock, biofuels, pharmaceuticals, or renewable fuels. On March 29 in the journal Joule, a team of Canadian and US scientists describe their vision for what we should make with CO2 and how we can make it.

"Similar to how a plant takes carbon dioxide, sunlight, and water to make sugars for itself, we are interested in using technology to take energy from the sun or other renewable sources to convert CO2 into small building block molecules which can then be upgraded using traditional means of chemistry for commercial use," says Phil De Luna, a PhD candidate in materials science. "We're taking inspiration from nature and doing it faster and more efficiently."

De Luna is first author on the paper along with postdoctoral fellow Oleksandr Bushuyev, both of whom are members of the Edward Sargent Lab at the University of Toronto. Sargent, the senior author, is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Their analysis identified a series of possible small molecules that make economic sense and could be made by converting captured CO2. For energy storage needs, hydrogen, methane, and ethane could be used in biofuels. Additionally, ethylene and ethanol could serve as the building blocks for a range of consumer goods, and CO2-derived formic acid could be used by the pharmaceutical industry or as a fuel in fuel cells.

While current technologies that can capture CO2 waste are still in their infancy, with new start-ups currently developing strategies for commercial use, the researchers envision that the coming decades will bring major improvement to make CO2 capture and conversion a reality. Within 5 to 10 years, electrocatalysis -- which stimulates chemical reactions through electricity -- could be a way into this process. And 50 years or more down the line, molecular machines or nanotechnology could drive conversion.

"This is still technology for the future," says Bushuyev, "but it's theoretically possible and feasible, and we're excited about its scale up and implementation. If we continue to work at this, it's a matter of time before we have power plants where CO2 is emitted, captured, and converted."

The authors are aware of the limitations of carbon capture and conversion. First, it has been criticized for not being economically feasible, particularly because of the cost of electricity to make these chemical reactions take place, but this will likely go down as renewable energy becomes widespread over time. Second, there are few factories with a high carbon footprint that emit pure CO2, which is necessary for conversion, but technology that could help with this issue is in development.)

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97% conversion of CO2 into Industrial Chemicals, Plastics, and Fuels, discovered with A Catalyst of Graphene Layered Nickel

Nickel Is the New Key to Recycling C02 Emissions

Researchers at Harvard, Stanford, and Brookhaven National Lab have discovered a new nickel-based catalyst that marks a major step in the quest to recycle carbon dioxide into useful industrial chemicals, plastics, and fuels. The resulting catalyst is not only far more economical than anything made previously, it is also highly efficient.

 From article, (Researchers at Harvard, Stanford, and Brookhaven National Lab have discovered a new nickel-based catalyst that marks a major step in the quest to recycle carbon dioxide into useful industrial chemicals, plastics, and fuels. The resulting catalyst is not only far more economical than anything made previously, it is also highly efficient. Their paper, recently published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science, reports a 97 percent conversion efficiency.

The scientific consensus on climate change indicates that it won't be possible to meet the goals laid out in The Paris Agreement without a significant operational capability to actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as a means of restoring balance to the carbon cycle.

A number of diverse efforts are underway in the realms of forestry and agriculture as well as industrial direct air capture systems that can extract carbon dioxide from the air, anywhere. However, while CO2 plays a role as an important industrial chemical, the anticipated demand for it is far smaller than what needs to be extracted to stabilize the environment.

That leads to a question: What else can be done with the excess CO2?

Scientists have long known that carbon dioxide’s dangerous cousin, CO, or carbon monoxide, was a far more useful chemical since it can be reacted with water to produce hydrogen or readily combined with hydrogen to produce any number of hydrocarbon products ranging from plastics to fuels such methanol, ethanol, and diesel. But converting the highly stable CO2 molecule to CO by stripping off one of the oxygen atoms has proven difficult and requires expensive catalysts, such as gold or platinum, and also significant amounts of energy.

But a team of scientists have found a far more affordable catalyst, nickel, to be very effective, when used in a single atom form.

The catalyst built by this team gets its potency from the interaction between the individual nickel atoms and the surface to which they are attached. Stabilizing the atoms on the surface, which in this case is a graphene layer, was one of the key challenges.

To achieve this, the graphene layer is doped with nitrogen, which essentially punches a hole in the layer, displacing carbon atoms in the process. Once a nitrogen atom is in there, it provides a place for the nickel atom to attach. It’s important to note that the nickel atom is not embedded in the graphene plane, but is suspended above it, providing better interaction with the carbon dioxide. The bond is strong enough so that it cannot be thermally disturbed.)

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Tesla Model S/X Sales This Year Have Fallen by 400 units Compared From the First Two Months of Last Year. But, this Does Not Mean Tesla is Losing Sales. It Means Customers Are Waiting to Get their Hands on the Cheaper Model 3.

Tesla: The Moment Of Truth Is Approaching

Tesla ( TSLA) is an extraordinarily innovative company that has achieved amazing results in several sectors in a relatively short time frame. Let's face it, if it weren't for Tesla, EVs would still be limited to the likes of the Leaf and the Prius.

From article, ([of an] apparent slowdown in Model S/X sales this quarter. Tesla said that it aims to deliver roughly 100,000 Model S/X vehicles this year, about the same as last year. The company also claimed that while demand remained strong for these vehicles, production capacity was constrained due to increased resources being diverted to the Model 3 vehicle.

According to EVObsession.com, Tesla sold about 8,400 Model S and Model X vehicles in the U.S. in the first two months of this year. This is lower than last year's figure of 8,800 Model S/X vehicles for the same time frame. Since about 60% of Tesla Model S/X sales come from the U.S., we can assume the company sold around 15,000 Model S/X vehicles in total in the first two months. By adding around 50% to account for March sales, this would give us approximately 22,500 Model S/X units for Q1. This is lower than last year's 25,000 units and will make it very difficult for Tesla to achieve its target of 100,000 Model S/X vehicles this year.

The Model 3 Rampup is likely one of the most important production efforts ever. It is certainly the most crucial manufacturing process in Tesla's history as a company. A true EV, affordable, capable, and stylish, the likes of which have never been seen before. However, the rollout process has been anything but smooth, plagued by various problems and numerous delays.

Going by the company's own original estimates, Tesla should be cranking out Model 3s at around 10,000 units per week by now. the drastically revised estimates call for about 2,500 units by now.

Tesla was originally shooting for 500,000 Model 3s this year, but even with a constructive rampup from here, the company will likely only produce about 100,000.)

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Me, "I call this apples and oranges. If we consider that Model S/X sell 100,000 vehicles and the Model 3 produces even half that that, this is still 50,000 more electric cars on the road, then if no Model 3 was introduced.
 No one said producing the Model 3 would be easy. But if you look at the start up production numbers of Model S and X it took some time for them to be produced in great numbers too. Analysts really need to sit back and stop bad mouthing Tesla."  

You can't trust Analysts when it comes to making a Judgement on Tesla. Analysts are Looking at Tesla to Fail to Make a Profit. They are Not Looking at Some Specifics.

Tesla: The Moment Of Truth Is Approaching

Tesla ( TSLA) is an extraordinarily innovative company that has achieved amazing results in several sectors in a relatively short time frame. Let's face it, if it weren't for Tesla, EVs would still be limited to the likes of the Leaf and the Prius.

Me, "There have been numerous analysts who say Tesla is doomed. If Tesla can continue to produce Model 3s in ever larger numbers per week, analysts views will be squashed. (Remember, a lot of these analysts are betting against Tesla. So, it is in their best interests to find any faults that will devalue Tesla stock.) Ford, which can produce millions of ICE cars, and Tesla, that sells hundred thousands of electric cars, are different because its not totally about production rates its about profit margin."

From article, (Ford's average selling price for a car was just $22,000 in 2017. The company had a gross margin of 10%, and a profit margin of about 5%, indicating the company nets about $1,100 per vehicle.

We know that in the intermediate term, Tesla is shooting for a gross margin of 25% on the Model 3. With an average selling price of about $47,500 per vehicle, Tesla would have a gross profit of about $11,875 per vehicle to Ford's $2,200. Moreover, if we assume Tesla can earn a net income of about 12.5%, (half of its gross margin per vehicle) Tesla would earn about $6,000 per a Model 3, or more than 5 times what Ford makes per a vehicle. This means Tesla could earn nearly as much as Ford by just selling 1 million Model 3s per year. This is not considering Model S/X sales, energy generation/storage, Tesla Semi, or any other future products.

Granted Tesla is a direct retailer, and traditional automakers like Ford are wholesalers. So, their business models differ somewhat. Also, Tesla computes its gross margins differently from traditional automakers by excluding R&D spending and other administrative costs. Therefore, even by achieving higher gross margins than Ford and others Tesla would have additional costs to consider before a net income is delivered.

Nevertheless, by looking at the situation from this perspective, and by assuming that Tesla will be able to achieve its margin goals, it becomes very clear that Tesla has the potential to become enormously profitable within the next few years. Whether this actually happens remains to be seen, but this should give people an idea why the market is currently valuing Tesla at $50 billion. It is on the assumption that the company will become profitable and will be able to achieve target margin goals at some point in the next few years. Based on the underlying statistics, ultimately (within the next 3-5 years), Tesla could be valued at much more than $50 billion.)

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Elon Musk to use Excavated Material from Its Boring Company Tunnels to Make Lego Like Brick Kits. Nothing Wrong Here. Elon is Looking At All Kinds of Ways to Make a Profit to Fund His Company.

Elon Musk says Boring Company will sell 'Lego-like' kits of excavated rock

Elon Musk has sold millions of dollars of branded hats and flamethrowers, and now, he says his Boring Company will sell "interlocking bricks" made from the rock that its tunnel-creating machines excavate from the ground. In other words, think Lego, he says, except giant, heavy, and made of earth.

From article, (Elon Musk has sold millions of dollars of branded hats and flamethrowers, and now, he says his Boring Company will sell “interlocking bricks” made from the rock that its tunnel-creating machines excavate from the ground. In other words, think Lego, he says, except giant, heavy, and made of earth.

Musk says that the Boring Company will sell “kits” of bricks, starting with one that makes it easy to build things from “ancient Egypt,” like replicas of the pyramids, the Sphinx, or the Temple of Horus. The bricks will be “lifesize,” though it’s not clear what that actually means. And they’ll be bored through the middle, to save some weight, but still rated to withstand California’s earthquakes. (As is typical, Musk announced the idea in freewheeling fashion on Twitter.)

It’s unclear when these bricks, or the kits, will be available or how much they’ll cost. The Boring Company is currently only digging short, preliminary tunnels in California and Maryland, so there’s presumably not enough to start selling any of this upturned rock just yet. But the small company has big plans for tunnels around the country meant to facilitate debatably futuristic modes of transportation, so there will be plenty of newly removed earth if even half of those ever come to fruition.

 What is clear is that finding something constructive to do with all this excised earth has been a priority for the Boring Company for a while. The company has long stated on its website and in various city council planning meetings that it wants to find ways to recycle the bedrock it will be removing from its tunnels, with an emphasis on turning them “into useful bricks to be used to build structures.” (The FAQ on the company’s website even references the pyramids as inspiration for the idea.) The Boring Company has also considered using this extra earth to line the tunnels it’s creating instead of doing so with concrete, which it claims would be more environmentally friendly.)

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U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt Foreign Policy was, "Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick." For President Trump It is, "Speak Loudly and Carry a Big Stick."

Trump Scores His First Revised Trade Deal, With South Korea

President Donald Trump secured his first revamp of a U.S. trade deal, after reaching an agreement this week with South Korea that would allow American automakers greater access to that country's markets, senior administration officials said on Tuesday night. The agreement came as the U.S.

From article, (President Donald Trump secured his first revamp of a U.S. trade deal, after reaching an agreement this week with South Korea that would allow American automakers greater access to that country’s markets, senior administration officials said on Tuesday night.

The agreement came as the U.S. has been involved in renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico and has imposed tariffs that have roiled financial markets.

 Seoul has agreed to double to 50,000 the number of cars each U.S. automaker can sell in the Asian nation without meeting local safety standards, said the officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity. However, it’s not clear how the higher cap will immediately benefit American manufacturers, given that sales by American automakers currently fall well short of the new limit.

Under the revamped deal, the U.S. will extend a 25-percent tariff on pickup-truck imports until 2041. The tariff was set to expire in 2021 under the existing trade agreement, which came into force in 2012.

Meanwhile, South Korea agreed to limit its steel exports to the U.S. to about 2.7 million tons of year, in exchange for relief from the 25-percent tariff Trump announced earlier this month. Many of the details of the revised trade deal and the steel quota were previously disclosed by South Korea.

The agreement is Trump’s first revised trade pact since taking office. Trump has slammed existing trade agreements with several countries, regularly singling out the six-year-old trade deal with South Korea, known as Korus.)

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Realistic and Updated (Every Few Months) Mars Colonization Timeline From 2016 to the Future

Mars Colonization Timeline

We have created a speculated timeline of human exploration and colonization of Mars. Predictions are based on a reasonably optimistic evaluation of technological and social progress of humanity. On 22nd February, 2018 was made the last update to the timeline.

 From article, (Inspired from FutureTimeline.net and the Integrated Space Plan we have created a speculated timeline of human exploration and colonization of Mars. Predictions are based on a reasonably optimistic evaluation of technological and social progress of humanity. Only the most important and innovative events are mentioned. Timeline is regularly updated taking into account latest developments.
Last update was made on 22nd February, 2018.

2010s – The Mars hype is there

2016 – Elon Musk reveals SpaceX plans for the Interplanetary Transport System (ITS, formerly known as Mars Colonial Transporter).
2016 – ESA&Roscosmos's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter enters Mars orbit, but Schiaparelli lander crashes on the surface of Mars.
2017 – Elon Musk updates SpaceX vision "to make life multiplanetary" and colonize Mars (with Big Falcon Rocket architecture, formerly known as Interplanetary Transport System or ITS).
2018 – NASA's InSight lander lands on Mars at Elysium Planitia.

2020s – Preparing for human arrival

2020 – Through the Commercial Crew Program NASA awards several companies, including SpaceX and Lockheed Martin, to develop and build a lander/ascent vehicle(s) capable to land on the Moon and bring back to Lunar orbit at least 4 astronauts no later than 2028 with bonuses if the system is capable of serving Mars too.
2021 – ESA&Roscosmos's ExoMars rover lands on Mars.
2021 – NASA's Mars 2020 rover lands on Mars to collect samples for later retrieval.
2021 – First Chinese orbiter, lander and rover reaches Mars.
2021 – United Arab Emirates Hope probe enters Mars orbit.
2022 – SpaceX's BFR prototype booster and cargo spaceship makes first orbital test flight around Earth.
2023 – India's Mangalyaan 2 orbiter and lander reaches Mars.
2025 – NASA's next generation Next Mars Orbiter with solar electric ion thrusters and broadband laser communications enters Mars orbit.
2025 – Japan&France's Martian Moons Explorer lands on Phobos to collect samples and return them to Earth in 2029.
2026 – First SpaceX's BFR crew spaceship successfully tested.
2026 – A communications relay satellite is placed at Sun-Earth Lagrangian point L5 to overcome the problem of periodic communications blackout with spacecrafts temporary behind the Sun.
2027 – NASA's Deep Space Transport is completed at international Deep Space Gateway in Lunar orbit, starting to carry out manned preparation missions for human Mars mission.
2027 – Two demonstration BFR cargo spaceships separately land on Mars at the two most promising locations for the first human colony on Mars; both ships have a small nuclear power reactor in cargo and an automatic atmospheric propellant plant to produce oxygen and methane from Martian atmosphere.
2027 – NASA's sample return orbiter and lander (with Mars ascent vehicle, sample collection rover and a small reconnaissance helicopter) reaches Mars to retrieve samples collected by Mars 2020 rover and launch them back to Earth.
2028 – SpaceX's BFR crew spaceship and Lockheed Martin's lander lands on the rim of the Shackleton Crater to establish the first human outpost on the Moon.
2028 – After the ground tests are done in both places the final location of future "Mars City" is selected. Filled with local propellant the one BFR spaceship not on the selected location launches from Mars and successfully lands back on Earth the next year.
2029 – Two unmanned BFR spaceships land at the selected location of Mars City: a backup crew ship (which has tested the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) on the way) and a cargo ship with rovers, miner/tunneling droids, solar panels and parts for a modular habitat for the first human mission.

2030s – First human base on Mars

2031 – On a NASA backed mission two SpaceX's BFR crew spaceships with 12 astronauts each land at Mars City – first humans on Mars. The crewed ships are accompanied with a few cargo ships, including one with machinery for a ground-based In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) system.
2031 – The first modular habitat and a solar array is built.
2031 – Several modules for NASA's Mars Base Camp (a manned station orbiting Mars) are prepositioned in Mars orbit.
2032 – After the best location is confirmed a small-scale mining of water ice starts near the Mars City base. Ground-based ISRU system with atmosphere separator and chemical/propellant plant capable to produce and store water, nitrogen, argon and liquid methane and oxygen is assembled.
2032 – Several landing/launch pads for future BFR missions are built a few miles from Mars City base.
2033 – 2 of the 3 landed BFR crew spaceships and all of the landed cargo spaceships, except the first one with nuclear power reactor and atmospheric propellant plant on-board, launch back to Earth unmanned.
2033 – 2nd crew of ~30 astronauts and workers aboard a BFR spaceship lands at Mars City. NASA's research Mars Surface Field Station is established at Mars City. A hydroponic greenhouse is built to provide Mars City with locally grown vegan food. "The Mars Society" establishes its first chapter on Mars :)
2033 – NASA's Deep Space Transport with 6 astronauts reaches Mars orbit and docks with the prepositioned modules to complete the Mars Base Camp; first human missions to Phobos and Deimos.
2034 – Small-scale Martian soil extraction, chemical separation and storage equipment is assembled; the useful elements now can be used in the greenhouse and ISRU system.
2034 – Lockheed Martin's Mars lander based at Mars Base Camp is the 1st non-SpaceX built manned spaceship to land on Mars (with 4 astronauts) for a short exploration mission.
2034 – Several space agencies join NASA in financing the scientific operations at Mars City and transport of their scientists between Earth and Mars.
2035 – Deep Space Transport leaves Mars Base Camp to come back to Deep Space Gateway in Lunar orbit.
2035 – First fully occupied BFR spaceship with 100 scientists and colonists lands at Mars City.
2035 – NASA's Mars Surface Field Station is reorganized into an international scientific research base with scientist crews rotating every Earth-Mars synod (26 months).
2036 – The ISRU capabilities of Mars City are extended not only to produce air, water and methalox fuel, but also steel, bricks, cement and basic fertilizers, plastics and silica products (as glass panels). Some industrial size 3D printers are also assembled.
2037 – First child is born on Mars at Mars City. His voyage to Earth later in his life would be dangerous because of his bones and organs not being fit for Earth's gravity.
2037 – BFR spaceship with 100 human colonists and workers lands at Mars City, which now has a population of more than 200. Among them is SpaceX's founder Elon Musk.
2037 – A constellation of satellites with global positioning system (GPS) and global communications system is placed in high orbit around Mars by BFR cargo spaceship. Now it's hard to get lost on Mars; possibly only in a lava tube or a narrow canyon.
2038 – Deep Space Transport with 2nd crew of 6 astronauts and additional modules for the station arrives at Mars Base Camp. Lockheed Martin's Mars lander performs several short exploration missions to Martian surface at various locations.
2038 – Cyanobacteria is introduced into the ISRU processes of Mars City.
2038 – A fish farm is built at Mars City to provide more diverse local food for the colonists. The greenhouse is vastly expanded.
2039 – A transparent, radiation-filtering geodesic dome with garden is built at Mars City; work begins to build a new underground section of Mars City with larger habitats and working areas to boost the population capacity of the colony to 1000.
2039 – 2nd crew of Deep Space Transport leaves Mars Base Camp.

2040s – Spaceport for the 4th planet from the Sun and beyond

2040 – Two more BFR spaceships with 200 human colonists, workers and some wealthy tourists land at Mars City.
2041 – The new underground section of Mars City is finished. Now the colonists have a lot spacier living and working quarters with full radiation protection.
2041 – Cultured meat "farm" is built at Mars City, adding meat (although artificial) to the diet of the colonists.
2041 – Virgin Galactic establishes the first luxury hotel at the outskirts of Mars City.
2042 – NASA's 2nd generation Deep Space Transport with nuclear powered VASIMR engine reaches Mars Base Camp in record-breaking time. Lockheed Martin's Mars lander performs another set of short exploration missions to Martian surface.
2042 – Two more BFR spaceships with 200 passengers land at Mars City, which now has a population of more than 500.
2043 – Several small proxy bases for scientific, mining and other purposes are established within a few tens of miles from Mars City.
2043 – Deep Space Transport gen.2 leaves Mars Base Camp.
2044 – Three more BFR spaceships with 300 passengers land at Mars City.
2044 – On behalf of several space agencies and asteroid mining companies Blue Origin's manned spaceship reaches Mars Base Camp to move it near the Phobos. The task is to use modules of Mars Base Camp as building blocks for Free Spaceport of Phobosproject which will be a spinning space station with artificial gravity of 0.38g and serve as a way station and fuel&repairs depot for manned and unmanned spaceships heading for Mars, Main asteroid belt and beyond.
2045 – Large deposit of minerals with high concentration of rare metals is discovered a few hundred miles from Mars City. A research Mining Base Beta is established.
2045 – A land trip all around the Mars is completed for the 1st time.
2046 – Deep Space Transport gen.2 arrives at Free Spaceport of Phobos with additional modules for the station.
2046 – Four more BFR spaceships with 400 passengers land at Mars City bringing parts for a nuclear fusion reactor as well.
2047 – The landing pads a few miles from Mars City where BFR crew and cargo spaceships has landed and taken off for two decades are transformed into a small spaceport with pressurized skybridges for both passengers and cargo.
2047 – A regular transport route between Mars City and Mining Base Beta is established.
2047 – Robotic water ice mining station is built on Phobos to supply the water and propellant needs of nearby Free Spaceport of Phobos.
2048 – A short hyperloop line from Mars City to its spaceport is finished.
2048 – Four BFR spaceships with 400 passengers land at Mars City and one more with 100 (mostly miners) at the Mining Base Beta.The population of the Mars City now surpasses 1200 with 200 more colonists living at nearby proxy bases and 200 at Mining Base Beta.
2048 – With additional modules arriving and maintained by Blue Origin the international Free Spaceport of Phobos is now operational. Robotic asteroid mining in Main asteroid belt now is rapidly expanding.
2048 – Blue Origin's lander lands on Mars for a scouting mission to confirm the best location for Blue Mars base (in addition to Blue Origin's already developed Blue Moon base).
2049 – A nuclear fusion power station is operational at Mars City.
2049 – A new underground section of Mars City is finished, boosting its population capacity to 3000.

2050s – When bases grow into colonies

2050 – With increased electrical power the ISRU and industrial capabilities of Mars City are greatly extended, using the resources harvested and refined around Mars City and nearby proxy bases. Solar panel assembly factory is the first factory on Mars manufacturing complex products.
2050 – Earth and Mars is the closest ever since the beginning of the colonization. The largest colonial fleet ever arrives at Mars with 1000 colonists landing at Mars City and 200 more at Mining Base Beta.
2050 – Blue Origin's spaceship fleet with 100 workers arrives at Free Spaceport of Phobos; workers are shuttled down to establish the Blue Mars base about thousand miles from Mars City.
2051 – With China and Russia focusing on the Moon, India is the first Asian superpower to establish its own base on Mars.
2052 – NASA's human mission to Ceres (flying with a new generation nuclear fusion spaceship) stops at Free Spaceport of Phobosto resupply, drop some scientists at Mars City and take additional crew members from Mars.
2052 – 1500 more colonists land at Mars City and Mining Base Beta and 100 more at Blue Mars base. There are now more than 4000 humans permanently or temporarily living on the surface of Mars.
2053 – At an impact crater near the Mars City work begins to build the first large-scale dome on Mars, covering the entire crater a mile across.
2054 – A deuterium separation facility becomes operational at Mars City.
2055 – As more colonists land at Mars City it reaches its maximum population capacity. More habitats are built at the outskirts of Mars City, at its proxy bases and Mining Base Beta to support the influx of colonists.
2055 – Several more Blue Origin's shuttles land at Blue Mars base, boosting its population to more than 400. Indian Mars colony now has more than 200.
2055 – Using its strong presence on the Moon in its favor, China establishes its first colony on Mars which now is being expanded fast.
2056 – The rover repair depot at Mars City is upgraded to a Tesla rover factory.
2056 – A regular transport route between Mars City and Blue Mars base is established.
2056 – The large-scale transparent, radiation-filtering, light-veight dome is finished and pressurized at Mars City, covering an area of almost one square mile; workers move in now to construct the buildings and gardens (with such features as artificial waterfalls) below the dome.
2057 – The new generation of SpaceX's nuclear fusion powered spaceships arrive at the Free Spaceport of Phobos; passengers are shuttled down to the spaceports of Mars City and Mining Base Beta. The BFR spaceships are retired from SpaceX fleet after 33 years of successful service and sold to Brazil.
2058 – Mars City's dome is finished, having a maximum population capacity of 20'000.
2058 – A hyperloop line and a heavy cargo train tracks are built between the Mars City and the industrial complex at Mining Base Beta.
2059 – SpaceX's nuclear spaceships take more colonists to Mars City, bringing its population to 7000.
2059 – First Brazilian BFR spaceship lands at Mars City. One of nearby proxy bases is sold to Brazil and expanded with more living habitats.
2059 – United Arab Emirates establishes its first base on Mars – the New Dubai.)

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