🐤 Shooting the moon

🎮 Sweet emotion: Fortnite has become one of the gaming world’s most popular online games, which has naturally opened it up for some questionable behavior by players. Now, video game developer Epic is doing something about one of the “confrontational” elements of the series. In-game animations known as “emotes” allow players to communicate without using words, but some players think they can be used in a threatening way. Epic confirmed this week that there will be a new option allowing users to block specific emotes that they find objectionable.

📡 Make it make sense: NASA scientists were dismayed late last year when an apparent computer malfunction in the Voyager 1 probe started sending back unintelligible “gibberish.” The spacecraft has been cruising through space for nearly 50 years and has sent back a trove of information about deep space. This week, the space agency shared the good news that radio signals being picked up by the probe are once again understandable. There’s still a software glitch blocking some data, though, and engineers continue to look for a solution.

🚗 A whole ‘nother level: Tesla has been at the forefront of autonomous driving tech for years, but there’s another automaker that is beating it to the punch when it comes to “Level 3” capabilities on U.S. roads. According to recent reports, Mercedes-Benz is including its Drive Pilot feature in EQS and S-Class sedans, meaning drivers will not be required to look at the road ahead when the self-driving tech is engaged. But the beta program has some environmental limitations and doesn’t come cheap. A subscription costs $2,500 per year.

⚖️ Justice delayed: The victims of Larry Nassar, the former sports physician who worked with Olympic athletes before he was convicted of sexual abuse, will be receiving a share of a $138 million agreement with the Department of Justice. According to the terms of the settlement, Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer admitted that the FBI “failed to conduct an adequate investigation of Nassar’s conduct,” thus allowing him to continue “betraying the trust of those under his care and medical supervision while skirting accountability.”

🏦 Markets: Monday’s stock market rally continued into Tuesday with all three major indexes posting gains by the time the closing bell rang. The Nasdaq Composite once again set the pace, adding another 1.6% to its value.

Earnings season was in full swing as reports surfaced from companies including General Motors, which increased its profit forecast in light of first-quarter numbers, and Spotify, which saw a boost to its stock price following a strong performance thus far in 2024.

We’re embarking on a new age of space exploration, with public and private entities teaming up around the world for missions unlike anything humanity has ever witnessed. And while much of the attention has been on the moon and Mars, NASA is moving forward with a complex (and costly) bid to explore Titan, the largest moon orbiting Saturn.

Dragonfly takes flight

The U.S. space agency has been considering the logistics and funding necessary for this major mission since 2019, and the details have proven to be more complicated than most experts imagined at the beginning.

After two years of delay and an estimated price tag — $3.35 billion — two times as much as the original estimate, however, the wheels of development are now in motion.

NASA’s Nicky Fox celebrated the milestone, calling the Dragonfly project “a spectacular science mission with broad community interest.”

As you might have guessed, this won’t be a manned mission. Instead, scientists say a revolutionary type of drone will robotically survey Titan and provide important information about what the massive moon is like.

A strategic destination

Despite the huge investment of financial and human resources necessary to achieve success, NASA thinks it’s worth it to learn more about Titan. That’s because, despite its remote location in the solar system, this moon appears to share some intriguing similarities with our own planet (at least the way it might have looked eons ago), including:

• An atmosphere distinguished by its orange haze
• A solid surface marked by familiar sand dunes
• Surfaces of methane resembling earthly lakes

But there’s a lot more to learn, and Dragonfly’s mission will involve obtaining samples that could reveal the essential ingredients for life. Barring any future delays, NASA projects a launch date in mid-2028.

As we’ve covered in the past, more consumers are turning to lending companies that offer “buy now, pay later” programs for both big-ticket purchases as well as ordinary expenses like groceries. Such options can be beneficial and even cost-effective if used responsibly, but interest and fees can add up over time and many consumers have found themselves in deep debt as a result.

One for all

BNPL doesn’t seem to be going away, as evidenced by the latest major player in the growing industry. Retail giant Walmart owns a majority of the financial tech firm One, which recently confirmed that it would begin offering BNPL options to customers at certain Walmart locations across the United States.

Affirm had been handling such financing for the company since 2019, but this now pits the two lenders against each other. It’s also an apparent step toward establishing One as a full-service financial platform offering users a way to borrow, spend, and save money in one place.

How it works

As it stands, Affirm is still being promoted in Walmart stores — including at the checkout, where shoppers have the option to apply for a loan. It was reportedly a factor in generating nearly $650 billion in revenue for the company last year alone.

But if One is able to provide the same service, it would give Walmart much more control and ownership over this profitable aspect of its business.

Like other BNPL options, getting a loan through One is expected to be a relatively simple and straightforward process. But before you get too excited, it’s worth noting that some items won’t qualify … at least for now.

Groceries, alcohol, and weapons are not eligible for these loans, though most other major purchases (roughly $100 and up) are.

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As electric vehicles become a more common sight on U.S. roads, there’s still a major concern among motorists on the fence about possibly buying one. The availability of reliable and convenient charging stations is uncertain at best across much of the country.

Tesla has installed rows of charging stations in parking lots far and wide … but there’s another company that has installed even more, and you probably won’t see them on your commute.

Major emissions goals

Amazon deliveries have become ubiquitous, with vans transporting packages from warehouses to doorsteps day and night. All of that driving has sparked concerns about carbon emissions, which the company is working to address.

A fleet of Rivian EV vans are now making deliveries nationwide, which is a major factor in Amazon’s pledge to erase its carbon footprint. Of course, it also means there’s a huge need for chargers. At last count, there are more than 17,000 chargers installed outside roughly 120 of the company’s domestic warehouses.

Even though Amazon has walked back from its initial promise to make half of its deliveries emission-free by the end of the decade, it’s making more progress toward a zero-carbon goal than rivals like UPS and FedEx.

Lots more work to do

Despite its progress, Amazon is still a long way from reaching net zero. In 2019, the company set a target of 2040 to achieve this goal … but evidence from the subsequent five years makes it seem all but impossible. Last year, Amazon emitted roughly 71 million metric tons of carbon dioxide — or 40% more than it did the year the company set its 2040 goal.

But with a massive investment in hardware and the added power demand of charging all these vehicles, Amazon has shown its commitment to practice what it preaches.