In order to prevent further loss of the sample through the flaps, NASA canceled the previously planned spinning maneuver meant to determine the mass of the sample as well as a navigational braking maneuver, and decided to stow the sample on 27 October 2020 rather than 2 November 2020 as originally planned, which was completed successfully. Food pantries were busier than ever, supplying more than 4 billion meals from March through October 2020. Few signs show the crisis slowing; nobody sees it ending. Some estimates claim that 50 million Americans, including 17 million kids, wondered how to get their next meal in 2020. For the first time ever, some 40 percent of Americans didn’t have reliable access to enough affordable food. To put that number in perspective, an estimated 675,000 died from the 1918 influenza pandemic, which is the equivalent of about 2.2 million people in today’s population, according to Justin Fox at Bloomberg.

If, that is, they survived an economy that, in America, shed more than 18 million jobs in the spring of 2020 alone. Late last year, whites had recovered more than half of the jobs they lost early in the pandemic; Blacks had recovered about a third. The presidents have been wildly popular with tourists, thousands of whom check in at the visitor’s center each year, grab a map and take the presidential walking tour. Article 37 of the Federal Constitution requires the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) and his deputy to take the Oath of Office before the Conference of Rulers on the day of their assumption of office. It’s an ideal way to celebrate Earth Day because it’s not a one-time thing. NASA plans to launch a new space telescope later this month capable of spinning around at a moment’s notice to catch sight of the elusive, brief and powerful explosions that send blasts of light and radiation screaming through our universe every day. Thanks to NASA’s live streams, you can now experience space in real-time from the comfort of your own home.

Families unable to visit their loved ones in nursing homes because of the fear of passing on the virus; arguments between spouses; virtual funerals conducted without mourners; child care headaches; sharing working space with family members; the inability to just get away. But the lack of simply being present, especially for holidays, weddings, graduations and funerals sparks painful consequences that may never be resolved. A study in April 2020 focusing on more than 19,000 American adults found that they were eight times more likely to fit the criteria of being in serious mental distress than a similar group in 2018. A study of 59 countries in spring 2020 reported significant levels of moderate-to-severe depression and anxiety. No wonder we’re drinking more. More than 110,000 eating and drinking joints in the nation have closed down, many for good. Plus, many of those gatherings have been legally limited in size anyway, if allowed at all. Some nimble local restaurants have been able to survive, for now, on delivery and takeout alone.

And local governments are hurting for revenue. Do-it-yourself projects are up 74 percent in June 2020 as we converted basements into gyms (get a piece of that exercise bike market), playrooms into Netflix home theaters (big TVs), and backyards into oases (pools). The pandemic has been hard on families, no matter the home setup. Small business has been hammered by pandemic shutdowns and by shoppers and restaurant-goers fearful of venturing out in public. In keeping with its public mission, NASA doesn’t make a cent off merchandise bearing its name. The virtually unfunded police in the capital city of Bissau have been unable to make any headway in fighting the Colombians. For many, our homes have become not only our offices, but also school classrooms, personal playgrounds and family sanctuaries. How does all this affect school kids? Only the rabidly stubborn or hard-headed non-believers would think of going. The worst part of that: Out of work, out of money and behind on bills, people are going hungry.