NASA to display scorched capsule hatch from Apollo 1

NASA to display scorched capsule hatch from Apollo 1

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.

A relic from America’s first space tragedy is finally going on display this week, 50 years after a fire on the launch pad killed three astronauts at the start of the Apollo moon program.

The scorched Apollo 1 capsule remains locked away in storage. But NASA is offering visitors at Kennedy Space Center a look at the most symbolic part: the hatch that trapped Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee in their burning spacecraft Jan. 27, 1967.

A flash fire erupted inside the capsule during a countdown rehearsal, with the astronauts atop the rocket at Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 34. A cry came from inside: “Got a fire in the cockpit!” White struggled to open the hatch before quickly being overcome by smoke and fumes, along with his two crewmates. It was over for them in seconds.

Investigators determined the most likely cause to be electrical arcing from defective wiring.

Battles escalate between Syrian rebels, militants

BEIRUT

Al-Qaida-linked militants attacked a prison Wednesday where its fighters are held by other Syrian rebels in escalating violence in northern Syria after Russian-led talks urged mainstream insurgents to break with the extremists.

The infighting, some of the worst in recent years, is likely to weaken the rebellion but also could help isolate the extremist group.

The fighting pits the al-Qaida-linked Fatah al-Sham Front against several other groups, including its former ally, Ahrar al-Sham, one of the most powerful insurgent organizations in Syria’s nearly 6-year-old civil war.

Facebook takes aim at fake news with new formula

SAN FRANCISCO

Facebook is updating its “trending” feature that highlights hot topics on its social networking site, part of its effort to root out the kind of fake news stories that critics contend helped Donald Trump become president.

With the changes announced Wednesday, Face-book’s trending list will consist of topics being covered by several publishers. Before, it focused on subjects drawing the biggest crowds of people sharing or commenting on posts.

The switch is intended to make Facebook a more credible source of information by steering hordes of its 1.8 billion users toward topics that “reflect real world events being covered by multiple outlets,” Will Cathcart, the company’s vice president of product management, said in a blog post.

Facebook also will stop customizing trending lists to cater to each user’s personal interests. Instead, everyone located in the same region will see the same trending lists, which currently appear in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and India.

Iconic Goodrich smokestack to be trimmed by 100 feet

AKRON

Officials in Akron plan to downsize one of the Ohio city’s iconic B.F. Goodrich smokestacks by 100 feet due to growing safety concerns.

The Akron Beacon Journal reports the twin 195-foot, red brick smokestacks have been part of Akron’s skyline for nearly a century.

Each emblazoned with the word “Goodrich,” the smokestacks tower over the site of the former Goodrich tire complex.

They were decommissioned in 2015 after burning gas and coal for decades.

Associated Press