NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is currently en route to a small, metal-rich asteroid near Jupiter. However, the barely 3,600-pound probe recently required a little help from Mars to complete its lengthy 2.2-billion-mile mission. Despite its complex gravity assist earlier this month, the groundbreaking spacecraft still found time to snap some travel photos showcasing its Red Planet flyby. NASA released the latest image from Psyche’s trip on May 20, which offers a gorgeous view of Mars just hours before Earth’s neighbor temporarily eclipsed the cosmic traveller.

According to NASA, the image was taken on May 15 at about 8:03 a.m. EDT by the spacecraft’s multispectral imager instrument. The thin crescent view of Mars is due to the spacecraft’s approach at what’s known as a high phase angle. The fingernail slice of Red Planet actually looks brighter and wider than mission specialists anticipated, thanks to a large level of sunlight scattering through the dusty Martian atmosphere. Interestingly, the instrument’s original unfiltered image wouldn’t look very discernible to the human eye. Instead, scientists processed the photo into a natural-color palette using the probe’s red, blue, and green imager filter data.

Launched in October 2023, Psyche is destined for 16 Psyche, a 140-mile-wide rock that astronomers theorize may be the remnant of an ancient planetary core. Once there, the spacecraft will study its iron magnetic properties, as well as use its imagers and spectrometers to analyze the asteroid’s chemical and elemental compositions. 

Thanks to the Martian gravity assist, Psyche is scheduled to reach its destination in 2029. At its closest pass, Psyche swung around the Red Planet barely 2,800 miles above the surface at a speed of around 12,333 miles per hour.

The post Mars shines in ethereal photo from Psyche space probe appeared first on Popular Science.

SINGAPORE, May 20 — Artificial intelligence (AI) firm OpenAI today announced a S$300 million (RM1.19 billion) commitment to boost Singapore’s AI ecosystem.

The ChatGPT operator has launched OpenAI for Singapore in partnership with the Digital Development and Information Ministry (MDDI) to support Singapore’s ambition of becoming an AI-powered economy under its National AI Strategy.

The initiative will focus on three key areas: supporting organisations in Singapore in deploying frontier AI and addressing complex challenges; developing the next generation of local AI talent; and enabling more individuals and businesses across the republic to benefit from AI.

OpenAI chief revenue officer Denise Dresser said Singapore has strong technical talent, trusted institutions and a clear ambition to use AI to drive long-term growth and improve people’s lives.

“Through OpenAI for Singapore, we want to help more organisations benefit from frontier AI, support the next generation of local AI talent, and widen access to these tools across the country,” she said in a statement today.

According to OpenAI, the partnership will see the establishment of an Applied AI Lab in Singapore, marking the company’s first such facility outside the US.

This will lead to the creation of more than 200 Singapore-based technical roles over the next few years, positioning the republic as one of its global hubs for Forward-Deployed Engineers.

“Through the partnership, the lab will support work aligned with Singapore’s AI Mission priorities, particularly in areas such as public service, finance, healthcare and digital infrastructure.

“As this work grows and our Singapore-based team expands, we also expect to increase our office footprint in the country over time,” it added. — Bernama

PUTRAJAYA, May 20 — The Simen Rahmah Scheme will continue this year with 1.6 million metric tonnes of cement allocated to support the target of building 500,000 affordable housing units under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP).

Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said the scheme, which offers cement at prices lower than the market rate, has also been expanded to cover affordable housing projects under the Federal Government, state governments and the private sector.

“The Simen Rahmah initiative is a critical component of the government’s commitment to ensure the housing sector does not come to a halt because the property sector is one of the pillars of the national economy,” he said at a press conference after launching the Simen Rahmah 2026 Initiative here today.

Through the expanded scope of the scheme, Nga said development projects under Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB) and Perbadanan PR1MA Malaysia (PR1MA), as well as various housing schemes under state governments, will benefit from cost protection through the retention of subsidised cement prices.

This includes bulk cement priced at RM290 per tonne, representing savings of 31.8 per cent or RM135 compared with the market price of RM425, while bagged cement (50kg) is priced at RM17.50 per bag, offering savings of 29.7 per cent or RM7.40 compared with the market price of RM24.90.

“The first phase of the Simen Rahmah initiative will provide 1.6 million metric tonnes of cement to support affordable housing projects priced at RM300,000 and below per unit. By stabilising cement costs, we are providing breathing space for developers to maintain lower selling prices without compromising construction quality.

“These cost savings act as a mechanism to control house prices, an early intervention to prevent the risk of sick or abandoned projects, and ensure the quality of homes for the people is not compromised,” he said.

To ensure there is no leakage, he said applications for the scheme will be fully coordinated through the Housing Integrated Management System (HIMS) by the National Housing Department (JPN) to ensure all eligibility criteria are strictly complied with.

Nga said the initiative is also part of the Madani Government’s proactive efforts through the Ministry of Housing and Local Government in addressing the global supply crisis challenges arising from the West Asia conflict.

“In view of the latest global developments, the ministry has taken proactive steps to continue this initiative as a direct response to rising building material costs and global economic challenges that are increasingly pressuring supply chains,” he said.

In April 2023, the ministry introduced the Simen Rahmah Scheme through a strategic collaboration with the Cement and Concrete Association of Malaysia (C&CA).

The scheme has recorded tangible success, with 29 affordable housing development projects approved involving the use of 1,560,329 bags and 316,918.22 metric tonnes of cement. — Bernama