The Daily Valet. - 8/3/20, Monday

✔️ A Historic First

August 03, 2020

Monday, August 3rd Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

The question now becomes: road trip or space tourism trip?

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

The First Splash Down in 45 Years

The SpaceX Dragon astronauts return after historic test flight

Two months after NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley made history by launching into space from U.S. soil for the first time in nearly a decade, the duo returned to Earth on Sunday.

It was the first water landing by returning astronauts since the final flight of an Apollo capsule in 1975 and the first landing of a U.S. spacecraft carrying astronauts home from orbit since the shuttle program’s final flight in 2011, reports CBS News.

SpaceX launched Hurley and Behnken into space and the Crew Dragon docked at the International Space Station. There, Hurley and Behnken conducted several spacewalks and contributed to the orbiting laboratory’s investigations as they completed more than 1,000 orbits around Earth.

The demonstration mission was the first to be completed under the agency’s commercial crew program. NASA intends to pay both SpaceX and Boeing to send astronauts to the ISS aboard seven-person capsules. SpaceX is expected to charge the space agency $55 million per seat, while Boeing is projected to charge $90 million per seat, according to a 2019 report (PDF) by NASA’s inspector general.

Descending under four large orange-and-white parachutes, the Crew Dragon—named Endeavour by the astronauts—settled to a 15-mph impact about 39 miles south of Pensacola, Florida.

The spacecraft will now return to SpaceX’s facility in Florida for inspection and to process the vehicle’s performance data, according to BuzzFeed News. The Crew Dragon is scheduled to launch into orbit again with its first four-person operational crew later this year.

↦ FYI: To NASA's dismay, numerous pleasure boats gatecrashed the landing, surrounding the recovery team shortly after splashdown.

These Coronavirus Numbers Are Scary

Birx warns that U.S. epidemic is in a ‘new phase’

Dr. Deborah L. Birx, the Trump administration's coronavirus coordinator, said on CNN's State of the Union Sunday that the country is in a “new phase” of the pandemic, and that it's much more extensive than the spring outbreaks in major cities like New York and Seattle.

New infections have swamped the U.S., which recorded 42% of all our coronavirus cases last month alone, reports the New York Times.

Gone is any sense that the country may soon get ahold of this mess. The seven-day average for daily new infections has hovered around 65,000 for the past two weeks—more than doubling the peak average from the spring when the country experienced what was essentially its first wave. (This was also when people were motivated enough to try and flatten the curve.)

Birx recommended that people living in communities where cases are surging consider wearing a mask at home if they live with someone who is especially vulnerable because of age or underlying medical conditions.

↦ FYI: Axios reports the new surge in cases in Europe is being driven by young people ignoring social distancing rules.

Microsoft Says It’s Still Pursuing TikTok

After President Trump threatens a ban of the app

Microsoft said it's committed to trying to acquire the U.S. operations of the Chinese video-sharing app TikTok on terms required by the White House, after Chief Executive Satya Nadella spoke by phone with President Trump about the deal, reports the Wall Street Journal.

On Friday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he planned to ban the app. “As far as TikTok is concerned, we're banning them from the United States,” he was quoted in Bloomberg.

But Microsoft, in a blog post Sunday, said it would ensure that all private data of TikTok's American users is transferred to and remains in the United States. To the extent that any such data is currently stored or backed-up outside the United States, Microsoft would ensure that this data is deleted from servers outside the country after it is transferred.

What do you think? Have security concerns kept you from using TikTok? I probably would join but I haven't found the time to download it, let alone learn a dance or two.

↦ Oh No: Users across the U.S. began posting videos in tribute to what they feared was the end of TikTok over the weekend.

America Is RV Crazy

Rentals and sales soar in the time of COVID-19

People are sick of being home, but not ready to fly. Gas is cheap and the roads are open. It's no wonder that America is embracing the summer road trip tradition in masse this year.

According to NPR, the peer-to-peer renting web site RVshare says it is seeing three times the amount of bookings this summer compared to 2019.

Even sales are soaring, despite a shaky economy. Wholesale shipments of RVs reached their highest monthly total in June since October 2018, according to a new report from the RV Industry Association.

The only problem? RV companies are having a hard time keeping up with the demand, and thus dealers are frequently out of stock. But InsideHook has rounded up the best models to consider, should you be in the market.

↦ Dig Deeper: The best-rated RV parks in every state.

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Cool stuff we want now

The cars ... are watching us

This weird bug vacuum

Want Merch From the Infamous Fyre Fest?

Because they’re auctioning off original items

Unsold merchandise from the infamous Fyre Festival has been put on the auction block by the U.S. Marshals in an attempt to recoup some money for the people who were swindled by the ill-fated fest, reports Rolling Stone.

Auction vendor Gaston & Sheehan will handle the sale, which includes 126 items ranging from Fyre-branded tees and sweatpants to hats, wristbands and “tokens.” The lot also includes a pair of T-shirts from Ja Rule and Ashanti's Fyre-sponsored 2016 tour.

The items—seized from promoter Billy McFarland—were originally intended to be sold at the festival but were kept by McFarland. He planned to “sell the items and use the funds to commit further criminal acts while he was on pre-trial release,” U.S. Marshal Ralph Sozio of the Southern District of New York said in a statement.

↦ FYI: The auction ends on August 13.

What We’re Buying

For far too long, protein bars have been the go-to afternoon snack of “bros” looking to bulk up. Bobo's already has a top of the line oat bar, but the newest addition to their line up is a protein bar that no one else can compete with. Packed with up to 11 grams of plant-based protein, these gluten-free bars are perfect for an afternoon pick me up, post-workout snack or mid-bike refuel. The variety pack is the best way to find your favorite flavor (but I recommend the cherry almond). And, at this price, they're one of the most affordable on the market too.

↦ Get It $19.92 (for 8) at Bobo's