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After half an hour’s windswept journey on foot and by boat through a craggy forested estuary to the school he attends in remote southern Chile, Diego Guerrero can finally access the Internet.

His school is located in the hamlet of Sotomo, around 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) south of the capital Santiago in the region of Los Lagos and inhabited by just 20 families.

A rain-drenched scattering of brightly painted wooden and tin houses, Sotomo stands out against a mist-swathed row of rocky outcrops jutting out into the Pacific Ocean. It can be accessed only by boat.

For decades, its inhabitants have survived by catching mussels and fish to sell at market, a five-hour round-trip away by boat.

starlink spacex internet chile school john f kennedy pablo sanhueza reuters starlink_spacex_internet_chile_school_john_f_kennedy_pablo_sanhueza_reuters

A father and son arrive at John F Kennedy School in the village of Sotomo, Chile
Photo Credit: Reuters/ Pablo Sanhueza

Now, it is one of two places in Chile to be chosen for a pilot project run by billionaire Elon Musk, chief executive of SpaceX, to receive free Internet for a year.

Starlink, a division of SpaceX, aims to roll out 12,000 satellites as part of a low-Earth orbiting network to provide low-latency broadband Internet services around the world, with a particular focus on remote areas that terrestrial Internet infrastructure struggles to reach.

Since October, it has been offering a ‘Better Than Nothing Beta’ program to subscribers in the United States, while also running pilot trials in other countries. In Chile, a second antennae will be installed in Caleta Sierra, a small fishing port close to the arid northern deserts.

The plan is key to generating the funds that SpaceX needs to fund Musk’s dream of developing a new rocket capable of flying paying customers to the moon and eventually trying to colonize Mars.

For Diego, aged 7, stable Internet is a dream enough.

“I really like the Internet because we can do homework,” he said. “It’s faster so we can do more of it.”

Starlink did not reply to a Reuters request for comment. SpaceX chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell said in a July statement about the Chilean pilot: “Starlink was designed for remote communities like those in Caleta Sierra and Sotomo. High-speed connectivity can have a transformational impact on these communities.”

Broadening Horizons

Diego’s favorite subject at school is math. He wants to be a sailor, and loves to go out on his father Carlos’s fishing boat.

Carlos, 40, has more ambitious plans for his son and hopes the window onto the world the new Internet connection will give him will broaden his horizons.

He takes Diego to school daily by boat, often battling wind and rain to get him there.

starlink spacex internet chile sotomo shop pablo sanhueza reuters starlink_spacex_internet_chile_sotomo_shop_pablo_sanhueza_reuters

A man stands in the doorway of one of only two stores in the village of Sotomo, Chile
Photo Credit: Reuters/ Pablo Sanhueza

“I didn’t have the option of going to school so you do it whatever the conditions, good or bad weather or pandemic, even if it’s difficult,” he said.

“If he has a good education, he has that option and is eager to do it, then you have all the hopes of any father, that maybe one day all the children from Sotomo can go on to professional jobs.”

Using tablets provided by the education ministry, the school’s seven pupils can now tap into online learning material, watch films, do virtual museum visits and try out video calls to children in other schools.

Their sole teacher at Sotomo’s John F Kennedy School, Javier de la Barra, said he also looked forward to using it for professional development.

The signal is received via a satellite dish installed on the school’s roof, which transmits through a Wi-Fi device to most of its facilities and outdoor patio. Eventually, the plan is to extend it to the rest of the hamlet.

It only works from noon to midnight, because of a constrained supply of diesel to the generator that supplies power to Sotomo.

Nonetheless, said de la Barra, it is a significant advance on the patchy mobile Internet signal that residents currently can get on their phones by leaning out of windows or paddling out into the bay.

The Starlink antennae was installed in July and inaugurated earlier this month in a ceremony attended by Transport and Telecommunications Minister Gloria Hutt.

She said she hoped Starlink would prove key in bridging Chile and the wider region’s digital divide – an issue laid bare with the advent of coronavirus lockdowns that left people without good Internet struggling to work or study.

Chile has among the highest Internet penetration rates on the continent, with 21 million mobile Internet connections among its population of 19 million as of March 2021, according to government figures.

But as the families in Sotomo can attest, having mobile Internet does not mean you can always get a signal.

“I love living here,” said Carlos Guerrero. “It’s tranquil, my family is without stress, but we do lack connectivity, roads, electricity and drinking water.

“What would be great is if all these services could be extended around our community, not just to a small part, so everyone could enjoy them.”

© Thomson Reuters 2021


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James Webb Space Telescope Reveals a Stunning Einstein Ring in Hydrus

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James Webb Space Telescope Reveals a Stunning Einstein Ring in Hydrus

James Webb Space Telescope has recently captured a detailed image of an unusual cosmic occurrence. The latest images released by European Space Agency shows a glowing ring in the depths of space. It also reveals an effect that is caused by a massive galaxy bending light from another galaxy hidden behind it. The phenomenon has been recorded in the constellation Hydrus. It has been observed that light from the background galaxy forms a ring due to gravitational bending.

Formation of the Einstein Ring

According to the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency the sight captured is known as an Einstein ring. It was reported that the effect is caused when a massive object bends light from another galaxy located behind it. The report further highlights that the foreground galaxy shown in the images belongs to a cluster known as SMACSJ0028.2-7537. The light from a distant spiral galaxy is being curved by the gravitational pull of the elliptical galaxy in front.

As per the official statement from ESA, the effect is a classic case of Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. The agency highlighted that the large objects in space can warp space-time, which in turn, forces light to travel around them in curved paths. The report further mentioned that when the observer, the light source and the massive object align perfectly, the light appears as a full ring.

Significance of Gravitational Lensing

The image was shared as part of the March picture of the month initiative by the space agencies. The images were capture using the Near Infrared Camera instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope with the help of Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys.

It is also reported that such lensing phenomena assist astronomers in studying distant galaxies that would otherwise be too faint to observe. The ESA further noted that the magnification effect helps reveal the structure and composition of galaxies that existed shortly after the Big Bang

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NASA Astronaut Zena Cardman Appointed to Lead SpaceX Crew-11 Mission to ISS

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NASA Astronaut Zena Cardman Appointed to Lead SpaceX Crew-11 Mission to ISS

NASA astronaut Zena Cardman has been appointed to lead the upcoming SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission is scheduled for launch in July. Cardman will take command of the four-member crew following her removal from a previous mission last year. She will be accompanied by Pilot Mike Fincke from NASA, Mission Specialist Kimiya Yui from Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mission Specialist Oleg Platonov from the Russian space agency Roscosmos. Crew-11 will transport the team to the orbiting laboratory for an extended stay.

Crew Composition and Mission Details

According to an announcement by NASA officials, Cardman’s appointment to Crew-11 comes after her removal from SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission in August last year. That decision had been taken to accommodate NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams for their return to Earth following technical issues faced by Boeing’s Starliner capsule. These issues included thruster problems and helium leaks during its test flight to the ISS. The Starliner spacecraft had been returned without crew in September after safety concerns were raised.

Astronaut Experience and Background

As per NASA’s official statement, the Crew-11 mission will mark the first spaceflight experience for both Cardman and Platonov. Cardman had been selected by NASA in 2017. Platonov had been selected by Roscosmos in 2018. Mike Fincke, who will serve as the pilot, has already completed three space missions. He has spent a total of 382 days aboard the ISS during expeditions in 2004, 2008 and 2011. Kimiya Yui had served as a flight engineer during ISS Expeditions 44 and 45. He had remained aboard the station for 142 days from 2014 to 2015.

Changes Following Starliner Mission

According to reports, Cardman and astronaut Stephanie Wilson were removed from the Crew-9 assignment when NASA altered plans to facilitate the safe return of Starliner’s crew. Wilson’s reassignment has not been announced yet. Mike Fincke was earlier assigned to Boeing’s Starliner-1 mission. The launch date for Starliner-1 remains uncertain due to unresolved issues from previous flights. The Crew-11 mission is now expected to provide NASA with continued crew presence on the ISS. It will support ongoing research and operations.

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444-Million-Year-Old Inside-Out Fossil Without Head And Legs Found In South Africa

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444-Million-Year-Old Inside-Out Fossil Without Head And Legs Found In South Africa

Fossils of a 444 million-year-old marine creature, which is preserved in an unusual state, have been unearthed in South Africa. The remains belong to an extinct species of arthropod that lived long before dinosaurs, claims a new study. The fossils, which were discovered nearly 250 miles north of Cape Town in the Cederberg Mountains, shows an inside-out preservation technique. This means that the the soft tissues, such as muscles and guts, survived but the hard outer shell and limbs did not. This rare preservation offers a glimpse into ancient marine life and environments that existed during the Late Ordovician period.

Fossil Findings and Preservation

According to the study published in the journal Papers in Palaeontology, researchers have identified the specimens of the recently discovered fossils to be known as Keurbos susanae. The fossils were found in the Soom Shale, a geological formation recognised for preserving soft-bodied fossils. The researchers stated that the remains had been preserved without their shell and head while internal features like muscles and intestines remained intact. It has been reported that the species possibly lived in oxygen-deficient waters high in dissolved hydrogen sulphide which may have contributed to the unique preservation of soft tissues.

Challenges in Fossil Interpretation

Lead researcher Dr Sarah Gabbott, a Palaeontologist at the University of Leicester, told Live Science that the fossil was described as an “inside-out, legless, headless wonder”. She mentioned that muscles, tendons and even guts had been mineralised in remarkable detail while the outer shell and legs were missing due to decay. According to the report, the fossil dates back to a period when nearly 85 percent of marine life was wiped out by a mass extinction event. The absence of the exoskeleton has made it difficult for scientists to establish evolutionary links with other species from that time.

Limited Prospects of Further Discoveries

It has been reported that the fossil site where Keurbos susanae was discovered has been buried due to quarrying activity. Dr Gabbott mentioned that she had searched for additional specimens over the past two decades, but no new examples had been found. The species was named after her mother, Sue, who had encouraged her to pursue a career that brought her happiness. The research team noted that unless new specimens surface, the evolutionary significance of Keurbos susanae may remain unresolved.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


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