1. Space-Infatuated British Schoolgirl Gets to Send Time Capsule Into Lunar Orbit on Recent Rocket Launch
A British schoolgirl who is passionate about space was chosen to contribute to a time capsule headed for the lunar surface—on the first US commercial launch to the Moon.
The Vulcan Centaur rocket blasted off in Florida Monday and the 10-year-old secured the spot on the voyage after catching the eye of space bosses with her own backyard rocket launch.
Elizabeth Norman from Leicester, England made a model of the Vulcan Centaur and launched it 30-ft into the air in her garden a few years ago.
She then uploaded a video to Twitter @AstroLizsLab where it was seen by senior staff at the United Launch Alliance (ULA)—a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin behind the Vulcan Centaur rocket.
It successfully launched from Cape Canaveral at 7:18 carrying the Peregrine lunar lander, with Elizabeth watching live with her mom, dad, and brother, counting down to the big moment.
2. Restaurant Feeds Community With Free Fridge–Then Gets Paid Back When Business Faces Closure in Austin, Texas
A husband and wife in Austin, Texas have been honored as heroes for nourishing neighbors-in-need by hosting a community fridge outside their restaurant.
Now, the owners of Nixta Taqueria are feeling a boomerang of good karma, after the community found out their business was in trouble.
In 2019, Edgar Rico and Sara Mardanbigi opened Nixta Taqueria in East Austin, an area known as a food desert—where options for fresh produce and groceries are scarce.
They weathered the pandemic by offering curbside delivery—and their compassion came to life when they became the pilot location of the new Austin Free Fridge Program.
3. She’s on Path to Be a Top Gun or Cancer Researcher–But First She Wins the Miss America Crown
Madison Marsh is not only the current Miss Colorado–she’s a Harvard student and a U.S. Air Force 2nd lieutenant who has earned a coveted spot to train as a fighter pilot. But on Sunday night, the 22-year-old was gunning for the Miss America crown, an event that now features high pressure interviews on stage and a fitness competition—and she won it all.
“Pageants are changing and one of the ways is in what being physically fit means to women,” the Arkansas native explained. “For me, it’s great because I need to stay physically fit and in the gym for the military, so it already coincides with pageant training.”
As a young girl, Madison had a love of science and a dream to be a pilot and astronaut. Her parents encouraged her dreams, sending her to Space Camp when she was 13, where she met astronauts and fighter pilots.
At 15, she started flying lessons earning her pilot’s license two years later and then began to work towards her goal of becoming a cadet in the Air Force Academy. She also wanted to try competing in pageants as an extracurricular activity.
Just before graduating from the Academy and being commissioned as an Air Force Officer, Ms. Marsh was crowned Miss Colorado in May 2023.
