dge between the research institution and the public at large. At this moment, opening the second way is the next step. The major chunk of that is getting the six public labs open, and we have got funding for the food and theory labs. In this phase, questions from the public domain are shared with researchers as well. We call it science with society. That will complete the circle. We’re here to create a sense of relevance and belonging for the public because at the end of the day, the bulk of the research that happens in India is funded by the state, which is taxpayer money. What is my money enabling is the minimum question a taxpayer in some way should be asking.We are living in the time of fake news and misinformation. Do you see a role for the gallery in contesting that and cultivating a scientific temperament?JP: The leitmotif of any such institution in the long term is to serve the task of public education so in that sense yes, this institution is meant to contribute to public debate, public opinion and public education.(But) this is a very different time we are in right now, where there is very little room to take up a confrontation because in my personal opinion, that’s going to be counterproductive and confrontations polarise, even if you come from a place of factually correct information and truth. So the job that such institutions have is to create room for asking questions, for the young to come and find out what it means to ask good questions, and develop a sense of discernment and judgement.What are the exhibits you’re looking foward to?RN: I know I’m looking forward to the “bheja fry” exhibit–which is supposed to be to understand how certain areas of the brain code time to understand causality.JP: I’m always excited about live experiments we can host and we’ll have at least two. That changes how you think about exhibits. All science, when it starts out, is open-ended but we learn it in school as close-ended facts though that’s not how a lab works. The other I’m equally excited about is the HT2 aircraft from Indian Institute of Science (IISc). For me, for this exhibition it’s the most important exhibit. Our curatorial note starts by saying Bengaluru is today India’s most recognised, military-industrial-academic complex and our exhibition is one way to explore why that may be the case. The aircraft embodies this because it was designed at the IISc, produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (earlier Hindustan Aircraft) and used by Indian Air Force. So you have the military-industrial-academic complex embodied in that one single object. It reflects the very rich, layered story of the city.

Economic Times
A big NASA decision adds to Boeing's woes

NASA's announcement Saturday that it won't use a troubled Boeing capsule to return two stranded astronauts to Earth is a yet another setback for the struggling company, although the financial damage is likely to be less than the reputational harm. Once a symbol of American engineering and technological prowess, Boeing has seen its reputation battered since two 737 Max airliners crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people. The safety of its products came under renewed scrutiny after a panel blew out of a Max during a flight this January. And now NASA has decided that it is safer to keep the astronauts in space until February rather than risk using the Boeing Starliner capsule that delivered them to the international space station. The capsule has been plagued by problems with its propulsion system. NASA administrator Bill Nelson said the decision to send the Boeing capsule back to Earth empty "is a result of a commitment to safety." Boeing had insisted Starliner was safe based on recent tests of thrusters both in space and on the ground. The space capsule program represents a tiny fraction of Boeing's revenue, but carrying astronauts is a high-profile job - like Boeing's work building Air Force One presidential jets. "The whole thing is another black eye" for Boeing, aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia said. "It's going to sting a little longer, but nothing they haven't dealt with before." Boeing has lost more than $25 billion since 2018 as its aircraft-manufacturing business cratered after those crashes. For a time, the defense and space side of the company provided a partial cushion, posting strong profits and steady revenue through 2021. Since 2022, however, Boeing's defense and space division has stumbled too, losing $6 billion - slightly more than the airplane side of the company in the same period. The results have been dragged down by several fixed-price contracts for NASA and the Pentagon, including a deal to build new Air Force One presidential jets. Boeing has found itself on the hook as costs for those projects have risen far beyond the company's estimates. The company recorded a $1 billion loss from fixed-price government contracts in the second quarter alone, but the problem is not new. "We have a couple of fixed-price development programs we have to just finish and never do them again," then-CEO David Calhoun said last year. "Never do them again." In 2014, NASA awarded Boeing a $4.2 billion fixed-price contract to build a vehicle to carry astronauts to the International Space Station after the retirement of space shuttles, along with a $2.6 billion contract to SpaceX. Boeing, with more than a century of building airplane and decades as a NASA contractor, was seen as the favorite. But Starliner suffered technical setbacks that caused it to cancel some test launches, fall behind schedule and go over budget. SpaceX won the race to ferry astronauts to the ISS, which it accomplished in 2020. Boeing was finally ready to carry astronauts this year, and Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched aboard Starliner in early June for what was intended to be an 8-day stay in space. But thruster failures and helium leaks led NASA to park the vehicle at the space station while engineers debated how to return them to Earth. The company said in a regulatory filing that the latest hitch with Starliner caused a $125 million loss through June 30, which pushed cumulative cost overruns on the program to more than $1.5 billion. "Risk remains that we may record additional losses in future periods," Boeing said. Aboulafia said Starliner's impact on Boeing business and finances will be modest - "not really a needle-mover." Even the $4.2 billion, multi-year NASA contract is a relatively small chunk of revenue for Boeing,[...]

which reported sales of $78 billion last year. And Aboulafia believes Boeing will enjoy a grace period with customers like the government now that it is under new leadership, reducing the risk it will lose big contracts. NASA administrator Nelson said Saturday he was "100%" confident that the Starliner will fly with a crew again. Robert "Kelly" Ortberg replaced Calhoun as CEO this month. Unlike the company's recent chief executives, Ortberg is an outsider who previously led aerospace manufacturer Rockwell Collins, where he developed a reputation for walking among workers on factory floors and building ties to airline and government customers. "They are transitioning from perhaps the worst executive leadership to some of the best," Aboulafia said. "Given the regime change underway, I think people are going to give them some slack." Boeing's defense division has recently won some huge contracts. It is lined up to provide Apache helicopters to foreign governments, sell 50 F-15 fighter jets to Israel as the bulk of a $20 billion deal, and build prototype surveillance planes for the Air Force under a $2.56 billion contract. "Those are some strong tailwinds, but it's going to take a while before they get (Boeing's defense and space business) back to profitability," Aboulafia said.

Economic Times
Putin played on Trump's ego, top adviser says

Donald Trump was determined during his presidency to cozy up to Vladimir Putin despite Russia's interference in US democracy and objections by advisers, a former top aide claims in a new book, according to an excerpt published Saturday.The new behind-the-scenes details from H.R. McMaster, Trump's second national security adviser, come as Americans are set to decide whether the former president should return to the White House and as US officials warn of fresh foreign election meddling."After over a year in this job, I cannot understand Putin's hold on Trump," McMaster, in an excerpt from his memoir published in the Wall Street Journal, says he told his wife in March 2018.A former lieutenant-general, McMaster became Trump's national security adviser in February 2017, and says that from the beginning, discussions of Vladimir Putin and Russia "were difficult to have with the president."He says Trump connected "all topics involving Russia" to the federal investigation into Moscow's interference in the 2016 election and possible ties with Trump's campaign, a probe which would dog his entire presidency.US officials have warned this year of new efforts by foreign powers, including Russia and Iran, to meddle in the November election, in which Trump is facing Vice President Kamala Harris.McMaster says an "overconfident" president Trump sought early in his administration to improve relations with Russia by building a personal rapport with Putin.But the Russian president, "a ruthless former KGB operator, played to Trump's ego and insecurities with flattery," McMaster says."Trump had revealed his vulnerability to this approach, his affinity for strongmen and his belief that he alone could forge a good relationship with Putin," he added.McMaster detailed several instances of friction with Trump over his approach toward Putin, with the disagreements ultimately leading to his dismissal.Following Putin's election to a fourth term in March 2018, McMaster says Trump wanted to congratulate him by phone, but that he explained to the president that the vote had been rigged.A call was scheduled nonetheless.Before Trump called Putin, McMaster says he warned him about the conversation potentially being spun by the Kremlin as tacit support of the election process and to boost Russia's image, in tatters at the time over an assassination attempt on UK soil.He said he asked Trump: "As Russia tries to delegitimize our legitimate elections, why would you help him legitimize his illegitimate election?"Trump nonetheless called Putin and congratulated him, and then requested the Russian president be invited to the White House.Trump's aversion to McMaster, he said, "was because I was the principal voice telling him that Putin was using him and other politicians in both parties in an effort to shake Americans' confidence in our democratic principles, institutions and processes."McMaster was replaced just days later by John Bolton, who was also fired about a year-and-a-half later.While Trump had four national security advisers during his term, President Joe Biden has had one since taking office in 2021."With Donald Trump, most everybody gets used up, and my time had come," McMaster wrote.bur-des/fox