SPACE

Someone Get Elon a Coffee

If you've been wondering what the opposite of quarantine looks like, tune into SpaceX’s livestream at 4:30pm ET today. Astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley will be lifting off from Cape Canaveral to a place far, far away on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft.

This launch will make big H History. It’s...

• The first crewed flight from U.S. soil into orbit since 2011 
• The first time a private company will send astronauts into orbit
• The Crew Dragon’s final test before getting the all-clear to run crewed NASA operations

The itinerary: Within ~12 minutes of takeoff the Crew Dragon will be cruising in orbit. From there, it’ll journey 19 hours to the International Space Station, where Hurley and Behnken will share some interesting Earth stories with their new roomies, NASA’s Chris Cassidy and Russia’s Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner. 

NASA hasn’t set an end date for the mission, but when the Crew Dragon does return, it’ll splash down off Florida’s coast and a SpaceX vessel will retrieve it. 

Years in the making

Since 2011, NASA’s been paying about $80 million/head to send astronauts into space on Russian rockets. In 2014, it started shopping for a cheaper date and handed SpaceX and Boeing $3.1 billion and $4.8 billion, respectively, to build those capabilities back home.  

• SpaceX had a few problems on the way, but it’s faring better than Boeing. After a 2019 test flight failed, NASA found dozens of issues in Boeing’s preparedness and is deciding whether to proceed with another test.  

Rewind some more: This public-private partnership goes back to the Obama administration, which retooled NASA’s goals for space exploration and embraced commercial launch capabilities.  

• NASA had always used commercial contractors to build rockets, but its engineers led design and build. 
• Now, NASA’s handed most of that off to private companies, which also get to keep their spacecraft. 

Zoom out: With growing competition for space dominance from China and Russia and a new military branch, the Space Force, public investment in the U.S. space industry is expected to increase.

SPACE

Move Over Skywalker

Curious about what it takes to pilot a NASA x SpaceX mission? Check out these resumes. 

Bob Behnken, joint operations commander

The St. Ann, MO, native has a degree in physics and mechanical engineering from Washington University, a master’s and Ph.D. from Caltech, and started his high-flying career as a flight test engineer in the Air Force. 

Behnken will handle the Crew Dragon’s rendezvous, docking, and undocking with the ISS and lead camp activities while aboard. 

Doug Hurley, spacecraft commander

The Apalachin, NY, native has a B.S. in civil engineering from Tulane, attended naval test pilot school in Maryland, and served as a Marine fighter pilot. Hurley will oversee the launch, landing, and recovery. 

Fun fact: Both men were selected as astronauts in 2000 and have two spaceflights apiece under their belt. They’re long-time friends.

Double fun fact: Hurley and Behnken are married to veteran astronauts Karen Nyberg and Megan McArthur, respectively. The four met as part of the NASA astronaut class of 2000. No pressure on their kids...

Follow their mission at @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug.

SOCIAL MEDIA

When Trump Tweets, Dorsey Sweats

Long walk, saltwater, the president of the United States, former congressman, baseless murder claims. Just another day in the life of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. 

Yesterday, tech journalist Kara Swisher revealed a letter to Dorsey written by Timothy Klausutis. His request? Please take down President Trump’s tweets about my wife’s death. 

The backstory: Trump re-upped his false claim that former congressman and current TV host Joe Scarborough was involved in the 2001 death of Klausutis’s wife, Lori, who was then one of Scarborough’s aides. Trump had made the claim in 2017, then began tweeting about it again last week and yesterday morning. 

• “These conspiracy theorists, including most recently the President of the United States, continue to spread their bile and misinformation on your platform disparaging the memory of my wife and our marriage,” Klausutis wrote. 

Bottom line: Twitter gave a non-answer answer to Klausutis’s request, saying it'll have improved misinformation policies in place "shortly." But, for the first time ever, Twitter did flag two of Trump's other recent tweets about mail-in voting. It said they contain "potentially misleading information." 

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MEDIA

It's Not HBO

It’s HBO Max, and the new streaming service officially launches in the U.S. today. 

The pitch: Take a shot of Sheldon and chase with Tony Soprano. At $14.99/month, it’s not cheap, but it has a cavernous content library drawing from 1) cable networks including TNT, TBS, and Cartoon Network 2) HBO (duh) and 3) Warner Bros.’s film and TV archive. 

The drawbacks: A party with Sheldon and Tony would be...weird. By mixing HBO’s prestige content with laugh track sitcoms, parent WarnerMedia and grandparent AT&T are trying to make Max “all things to all people,” commented Rosenblatt Securities Senior Analyst Bernie McTernan. NYU Stern Prof. Scott Galloway used stronger language. 

• And...HBO Max’s 10,000-hour arsenal is actually smaller than most of its rivals’. 

Bottom line: The stakes are Battle at Hardhome-high. Ever since AT&T acquired Time Warner in 2018, it has poured all of its eggs in the HBO Max basket, and it will keep pouring...about $4 billion over the next three years.

FOOD

Apeel Keeps Things Fresh

Almost two years ago, Morning Brew profiled a food waste startup called Apeel Sciences and asked readers whether you’d invest.

The answer is...yes, yes you should have. First of all, it has the word “sciences” in its name—no brainer. Second, the company has just joined the ranks of the unicorns, raising $250 million at a valuation of more than $1 billion. 

Here’s some no-background:

• Apeel has created a natural coating that extends fruit and veggie freshness, sometimes boosting shelf life up to 3x. 
• It’s currently keeping avocados as hard as concrete at large supermarket chains (like Kroger) in the U.S. and Europe. Asparagus and cucumbers are on tap.

Bottom line: Apeel claims it’s on course to save 20 million pieces of fruit from going bad at homes and retailers.

Now how about a demonstration?

Apeel

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• Warner Music Group, home base for Lizzo, Ed Sheeran, and lots of other folks who can carry a tune, said it’s full-steam ahead with its IPO plans.
• Fitness clubs lost out on $10 billion in revenue due to COVID-19, per the investment bank Harrison Co. 
• Apple will open about 100 more stores in the U.S. this week—most will only offer curbside service.
• Latam Airlines, Latin America’s largest air carrier, filed for bankruptcy.
• Merck became the latest Big Pharma company to join the race for a coronavirus vaccine. 

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Make the most of your nights in: Get recs on how to unwind, take care, and make meaningful connections with the Girls' Night In newsletter every Friday morning. . 

We haven't seen anything like this before: a web-based interactive illustration. It's a feast for the eyes. (And thanks to reader Katie J. for the tip.)

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FROM THE CREW

Wanted: Career Advice

It's definitely a weird/tough time to be looking for a job, but...that's the reality many of our readers are facing right now. Let's put this audience of 2.2 million-strong to good use:

What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?

You can write your answer , and we’ll share the best responses (aka the most actionable/insightful ones) with the entire Brew community. 

SPACE TRIVIA

How many humans have ever gone to space? Give yourself...

• 10 points for guessing within 20 humans
• 5 points for guessing within 50
• 1 point for guessing within 100
• A car if you get it exactly right

SPACE TRIVIA ANSWER

 566 people, per the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale