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If you visit one of the many caves in the San Juan area, make sure it's Cueva Ventana. Not only do you get to overlook the gorgeous valley below, but you also get to explore the depths of the caves-aka spelunk (we love that word).

Even better? This spelunking excursion is one of the many free things to do in Puerto Rico . You don't need a tour guide to make your way around the cave, so you can do your thing, enjoy yourself and leave when you want-at no cost at all.

Pro tip Cueva Ventana is about an hour outside of San Juan in Arecibo, which means you may need some help with transportation. Chat with a local to find out the cheapest and most efficient ways to get there instead of wasting time trying to figure it out yourself.

Flyboarding is one of the newer and more unique activities in Puerto Rico ; these days, though, you can do on virtually any beach. What is flyboarding? It's almost like a hoverboard for the ocean. You're essentially propelled into the sky by a jet of water while your feet are attached to a board, enabling you to stand and fly around in the air.

Puerto Rico's Expedia page offers flyboarding rides on a few different beaches, but Luquillo Beach seems to be a fan favorite because of its lack of waves and natural beauty.

What kind of traveler are you?

Let's face it. People want different things when they travel. Rather than spending hours sifting through blogs and top 10 lists written by people who may have totally different interests than you, why not start by sharing a little about what's important to you when exploring a new destination?

Select your travel preferences below and let a local travel planner with ViaHero take it from there. Your personalized Puerto Rico recommendations, itinerary, and maps are just a few clicks away.

If touring San Juan and its surrounding areas on an ATV sounds like one of the most fun things to do in Puerto Rico , it's because it . After the city, take in the lakes, tabletop mountains, and subtropical forests right outside of San Juan. An ATV tour is truly unlike anything you've ever done.

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8 Adventurous Things to Do in Puerto Rico's Outdoors - ViaHero

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If you visit one of the many caves in the San Juan area, make sure it's Cueva Ventana. Not only do you get to overlook the gorgeous valley below, but you also get to explore the depths of the caves-aka spelunk (we love that word). Even better?

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The Caves in 90 seconds: Desecheo Island, Puerto Rico | Take a 90-second dive of Las Cuevas (The Caves) a series of swim throughs on Desecheo Island. A 45 minute boat ride west of Rincón, Puerto Rico. Thanks... | By Triton's Realm | Facebook

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1,7 тыс. views, 43 likes, 1 loves, 4 comments, 25 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Triton's Realm: Take a 90-second dive of Las Cuevas (The Caves) a series of swim throughs on Desecheo Island. A 45...

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Rock Climbing Puerto Rico | Pasillo Frio, Juana Diaz

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10 of the world's most endangered animals

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As our modern society gets more resource-intensive, natural spaces are shrinking, wildlife numbers are declining, and species are still endangered.

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An endangered species is a type of organism that is threatened by extinction. Species become endangered for two main reasons: loss of habitat and loss of genetic variation.

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Today marks the 17th annual Endangered Species Day. Every year, thousands of people around the world participate in Endangered Species Day by celebrating, learning about and taking action to protect threatened and endangered species. To show their support, people of all ages and backgrounds can attend bird walks, nature hikes, garden plantings, litter cleanups, zoo and aquarium events, and educational talks and webinars. In addition to those great events, here are five ways you can help threatened and endangered species:
1. Support National Wildlife Refuges
National wildlife refuges harbor 513 endangered and threatened species-nearly one third of total listed species. Because refuge lands and waters are expressly managed to conserve and restore fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats, they offer one of the highest levels of federal land protection. This network of protected lands and waters spans the country, from Izembek will support species conservation, protect a diversity of plants and animals, and improve landscape connectivity. Expansion will support species conservation, protect a diversity of plants and animals, and improve landscape connectivity.
2. Protect Wolves in the Northern Rockies
Hundreds of gray wolves in the Northern Rockies have been killed in the last year, including more than 20 wolves from Yellowstone National Park. These wolves need our help, and we will not abandon them. Urge the Biden administration to stop cruel wolf killings and enact an emergency relisting for wolves in the Northern Rockies under the Endangered Species Act. Add your signature: Urge the Interior Department to protect wolves in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.
3. Fund the Endangered Species Act
Congress will soon vote on a spending bill to fund the government in 2023. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ecological Services program is the primary federal program responsible for implementing the ESA. We are supporting a total of at least $356 million, an increase of $79 million, for FY 2023 and the same level as the President's request. This increase would be the first in a 3-year ramp-up to significantly boost funding as supported in a recent community letter from over 150 national and regional conservation groups. Reach out to your senators and representatives to show your support for a funding increase of at least $79 million for the Endangered Species Act in the FY23 Appropriations bill.
4. Share Why You Care About Biodiversity
In January 2021, to address the biodiversity crisis, Colorado Representative Joe Neguse reintroduced the National Biodiversity Resolution (House Resolution 69), which details policy recommendations to address the five main drivers of extinction. The Strategy would direct a whole-of-government approach in which federal agencies work collaboratively and innovatively to pursue actions within existing laws and policies and identify where new ones may need to be developed to protect biodiversity. And, importantly, it would be developed through an inclusive and collaborative process. By answering a few short questions, you can share your story about biodiversity.

5. Donate to Our Cause

Help Defenders of Wildlife save endangered and imperiled species and the habitat they need to survive. For 75 years, Defenders has been the premier U.S.-based national conservation organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of imperiled species and their habitats in North America. Our approach is direct and straightforward: We protect and restore imperiled species throughout North America by transforming policies and institutions and by promoting innovative solutions. Though our challenges are greater, more urgent and more complex than ever before, so are the resources and tools we have to confront them.

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Today marks the 17th annual Endangered Species Day. Every year, thousands of people around the world participate in Endangered Species Day by celebrating, learning about and taking action to protect threatened and endangered species. To show their support, people of all ages and backgrounds can attend bird walks, nature hikes, garden plantings, litter cleanups, zoo and aquarium events, and educational talks and webinars.

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by Azis Abakirov and Azat Toroev

The Enlightenment Era introduced many innovations that undeniably changed the way we live. Michelangelo, Gutenberg, and other greats deserve to be revered, but Central Asians should take note of their impressive history. Did you know that a thousand years ago Central Asian engineers produced human-like robots? It all happened during the Golden Age of Central Asia and in many ways thanks to al-Jazari.

Al-Jazari father of programming and robotics

Ismail al-Jazari (1136-1206) is often called the Leonardo Da Vinci of the East, even though he lived a few centuries before him. His full name is a mouthful: Badīʿ az-Zaman Abu l-ʿIzz ibn Ismāʿīl ibn ar-Razāz al-Jazarī. History depicts the time of his life and creations as the "Muslim renaissance" and "The Islamic Golden Age", but I like to call it the "Central Asian Renaissance". Many great minds came out of that period: Al-Fargani, Makhmud al-Kashgari, Jusup Balasaguni, Al-Khorezmi, and others. A notable example is the Chorezmian scholar al-Biruni who proved that the Earth rotates around its axis and the sun. During his research near the Indian city of Nandan, he managed to calculate the Earth's surface area. His method is currently called the rule of Biruni.

It all started with the "House Of Wisdom" created by Baghdad's caliph al-Mamun in the 820s. It was an academic center and a library that accumulated Arabic translations of astronomy, mathematical, medical, alchemic, and philosophical researches from China, India, and Ancient Greece. Baghdad attracted outstanding scholars from all across the caliphate many of whom were from Iran and Central Asia. They joined forces to translate Plato, Aristotle as well as the founders of the Greek medicine: Hippocrates, Galen and Dioscorides.

There are many things to the name of Muhammed al-Khwarizmi: the decimal system, fractions, trigonometric functions, and other mathematical advancements. The Islamic scholar derived the decimal system from the writings of ancient Indian mathematicians and further disseminated practice among Arabic-speaking multi-ethnic communities. His book "The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing" (Al-kitāb al-mukhtaṣar fī ḥisāb al-ğabr wa'l-muqābala) made him one of the most influential mathematicians in history. The word "al-gabr" in the book's title was modified in the west to sound like "algebra". Western scientists used Al-Khwarizmi's name to describe an order of actions with a result. Today it's called an algorithm. That would be the first step towards programming.

Al-Jazari was born in Jazari (modern-day Cizre, Turkey). Just like his father he worked as the head engineer in the city of Diyarbakır during the reign of the Artuqids dynasty. In 1206 he wrote "The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices" about the construction of more than 50 mechanisms, including clocks, coded locks, and robots. 52 years later the army of the Mongolian khan Hulagu conquered Baghdad and destroyed the academy and threw all books into the river Tigris.

Al-Jazari's encyclopedic treatise comprised 6 main categories of machines and devices. Some of the machinery mechanisms and methods later became part of the European engineering lexicon. From cleaning mechanism and a segmental mechanism to a double-acting suction pump with valves and reciprocating piston - most of al-Jazari's inventions might seem simple today but they revolutionized mechanics and engineering. He invented the crankshaft, probably the second most important mechanical detail after the wheel. His working drawings were used to build push-pull valve pumps, dams, and water-lifting machines.

Centuries before the invention of modern robotics and computers al-Jazari built early automized devices and was one of the first to use the concept of programming. Although he is not widely known, he inarguably founded programming and engineering. Al-Jazari's contributions led to the creation of the steam engine, internal combustion engine, various automatic control devices, and other modern technology.
THE ELEPHANT CLOCK
Animals and mythical creatures were symbols that represented different cultures. The Indian and African cultures had the elephant, dragon represented Chinese, the phoenix belonged to Persians, water stood for Greek and a turban represented the Islamic culture. Al-Jazari incorporated those symbols in his complicated elephant clock:

A bowl with a holey bottom floated on water inside the elephant. Eventually it got full and sank;

It pulled a rope tied to the beam on the elephant's head;

That released a metal ball that fell first on the singing falcon's head and then into the snake's mouth;

The snake bent forward and lifted the bowl inside the elephant and the emperor's hand with strings;

Meanwhile, the ball fell into a vase and the teamster beat the drum;

The dial hand turned to indicate half-hour or the full hour.

The snake would eventually return to the initial position and the cycle began again as long as there were any balls left in the basket.

The reservoir inside the elephant had upper and lower compartments. The upper reservoir was connected to the time mechanism, while the lower controlled the force of the flow. At the dawn, he opened the tap so that the water from the upper compartment leaked into the lower reservoir. That helped maintain correct pressure. That adjusted the clock to uneven day length depending on the season.

Diagram of a hydropowered perpetual flute from The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices by Al-Jazari in 1206.

All kinds of automotive devices, including programmed humanoid machines, were al-Jazari's passion. The idea of creating human-like machines had been relevant among Central Asian engineers since the Middle Ages. Al-Jazari created musical robots after the musicians who played on boats during big celebrations. He also had a robot-servant pouring tea, water, and wine. The drinks, kept in a special reservoir, poured into a big jug and then into a cup. When it got full, automatic doors revealed a woman who served drinks to the guests.

We often underestimate the history of our common ancestors by saying that all we had in the past was the nomadic or settled lifestyles. What if that history was kept silent on purpose?

Central Asia is the birthplace of innovation, technology, sciences, and philosophy. With this research, I hope to inspire young people of our region to study tech, robotics, and programming. It's time to resurrect what was done thousands of years ago by our ancestors. Let's stay in Central Asia and work with the world!

#LiveinCentralAsiaWorkwiththeWorld

Sponsor of this article Unique Technologies

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Al-Jazari - the founding father of programming, robotics, and engineering from Central Asia

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by Azis Abakirov and Azat Toroev The Enlightenment Era introduced many innovations that undeniably changed the way we live. Michelangelo, Gutenberg, and other greats deserve to be revered, but Central Asians should take note of their impressive history. Did you know that a thousand years ago Central Asian engineers produced human-like robots?

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Did you know we spend 2.5 billion euros on research every year and own the rights to 15,000 patents? The great inventors of the past are a constant source of inspiration for all of us at Thales, so we've put together our very own list of the Top 10 inventors of all time. Let us know what you think. Did we leave anybody out?

1. Thales of miletus

Call us biased, but we think the top slot goes to Thales of Miletus, who lived in the 6 th century BC. He was the father of Western philosophy and one of the first people to explain natural phenomena without reference to mythology-technically making him the world's first scientist too. He even invented mathematics. How cool is that?

Leonardo was an all-round genius. Not content with being a Renaissance artist and a visionary scientist, he also stands out as one of history's most brilliant engineers. Long before they were technically feasible, he invented the helicopter and the battle tank. He came up with designs for mechanical looms and hydraulic saws. He drew plans for submarines and robots. The list of his contributions to the world of engineering is virtually endless.

Edison was the archetypal inventor and epitomises the American spirit of inquiry and entrepreneurship. A shrewd businessman with unbridled imagination, he is credited with thousands of inventions, including the phonograph, the electric light bulb, the telephone (although Alexander Graham Bell made it to the patent office first on that occasion), the movie camera, the microphone and alkaline batteries. Did you know that Thomson, one of the companies that later became the Thales Group, was set up to exploit some of Edison's patents?

4. Archimedes

Archimedes was undoubtedly one of the big names of engineering in the 3 rd century BC. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists of classical antiquity. We owe it to Archimedes for inventing the pulley, the lever, the catapult and the cog... not to mention the Archimedes screw. And where would fluid mechanics be today without that original Eureka moment?

As a founding father, Benjamin Franklin was one of the people who invented America! But the man now hailed as America's first scientist was also a printer, an activist, a statesman and a diplomat-and above all a respected inventor and engineer. His legacy includes the lightning conductor, bifocal lenses, and, according to some, the first experiments in nanoscience.

6. Louis Pasteur and Alexander Fleming

These two tie for 6 th place in our list because they both made discoveries that are still saving millions of lives today. Frenchman Louis Pasteur was the first microbiologist. He invented the principles of vaccination and pasteurisation, which turned out to be hugely important for human health. Across the English Channel, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin a few decades later, so he's the one that made antibiotics possible. They go together because they were both pioneers of modern medicine and the first scientists to declare all-out war on viruses and bacteria!

7. the Montgolfier brothers and Clément Ader

We all know about Pegasus and Icarus in ancient Greece. But in modern times the history of flight was written by three Frenchmen-the Mongolfier brothers with their hot air balloon, and Clément Ader, who invented the aeroplane. Ader's contraption was the first piloted aircraft to take off under its own steam (literally) and make a brief uncontrolled hop across a field near Paris.

No, he didn't invent the world's coolest electric car. But Nikola Tesla was arguably the greatest geek who ever lived, always fixing things that weren't broken and coming up with amazing inventions in the process. We have him to thank for alternating current, the modern electric motor, remote controlled boats and, rumour has it, radar technology and wireless communications. He didn't get credit for much of it in his lifetime and died alone in poverty.

9. Auguste and Louis Lumière

The Lumière brothers-yet another pair of pioneering Frenchmen-invented the cinema. Seriously! They patented the cinematograph, and their first movie, released in 1894, is considered the first real motion picture in history.

Sir Timothy Berners-Lee is known as the man who invented the Internet, the biggest breakthrough of the late 20 th century. But it's a bit more complicated than that. The Internet started life at the Pentagon as a distributed computer network designed to withstand a nuclear attack. That system was known as ARPANET and dates back to 1969. Sir Tim took the idea and added the concept of hypertext as a way for researchers at the CERN, where he worked, to share resources more efficiently. He and his team went on to develop HTML, web servers and browsers, making the World Wide Web a reality in 1989 and opening it up to the public in 1991.

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Did you know we spend 2.5 billion euros on research every year and own the rights to 15,000 patents ? The great inventors of the past are a constant source of inspiration for all of us at Thales, so we've put together our very own list of the Top 10 inventors of all time.

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Inventions and Science: Ideas and Inventors | HISTORY

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Learn about great inventors like Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, the Wright brothers, Alexander Graham Bell and Nikola Tesla, and inventions like the cotton gin, the automobile and the internet.

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Uncommon travelers don't so much laugh at danger as we're cautious and respectful of the perils one might encounter while adventuring around the Caribbean. Hurricanes, massive surf, bush rum, crime, machete-wielding hiking guides in the dark - all can be managed with a little common sense. Desecheo Island, however, is different.

It must be avoided altogether.

Desecheo Island History

Tiny (.6 square miles), uninhabited, and remote, Desecheo lies in the Mona Passage about 13 miles west of the mainland coast of Puerto Rico. Together with neighboring Mona and Monito, the area is known as the Galapagos of the Caribbean owing to the wide variety of rare and endangered Puerto Rican flora and fauna found in these delicate and now protected ecosystems.

Things weren't always so calm and nature-focused on Desecheo, however.

Between the Second World War and 1964, various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces held sway over the island, practicing bombing and survival training techniques. Yes, like other islands located near Puerto Rico, they turned it onto a bombing range.

Everything changed in 1976, though, when the administration of Desecheo was transferred to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. By 1983, the island was designated as a National Wildlife Refuge in hopes that its rare endemic species of plant and animal would make a comeback.

So, why is Desecheo still so dangerous today?

The Most Dangerous Destination in the Caribbean

Well, the U.S. Military isn't exactly known for employing the most thorough clean-up methods when it moves out of anywhere. In Desecheo that means you'd be liable to find unexploded ordinance laying about - a real buzzkill for any hiking or birdwatching expeditions.

To keep everyone on the safe side, the island is closed to the public. So much so, in fact, that anyone caught ashore here is subject to arrest by federal law and prosecution.

Why, then, would you want to risk venturing anywhere even close to Desecheo?

Two words: scuba diving.

Scuba Isla Desecheo

The U.S. Military may have beaten up the land portion of Desecheo pretty good back in the day, but the surrounding reefs have remained untouched, benefiting from the island's remote location to thrive like few other undersea playgrounds around the region.

Distinctive undersea canyons, caverns, and arches combine with vibrant coral reefs teeming with life. The combination creates one of the most memorable dive and snorkel sites in Puerto Rico.

To check out the undersea wonders of Desecheo Island for yourself, contact the pros at Taino Divers in Rincon. Their motto of "Safety, Style and Dependability" suggests they won't lead you astray... or in the case of Desecheo, ashore.
*Lead photo credit: Island Conservation via Flickr.
Related Posts

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Desecheo Island Puerto Rico: Most Dangerous Destination in Caribbean

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Uncommon travelers don't so much laugh at danger as we're cautious and respectful of the perils one might encounter while adventuring around the Caribbean. Hurricanes, massive surf, bush rum, crime, machete-wielding hiking guides in the dark - all can be managed with a little common sense. Desecheo Island, however, is different.

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Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.

This year, humankind glimpsed the universe in ways that were never before possible, and space missions took unprecedented leaps forward in unraveling the mysteries of the cosmos.

We witnessed the first mission to the International Space Stationfunded entirelyby space tourists. A new space-based internet service played a key role in the war in Ukraine. And there were historic launches of spacecraft and technology by NASA and its international partners that could one day be used to land humans on Mars.

"There is no doubt that 2022 was out of this world," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement. "2022 will go down in the history books as one of the most accomplished years across all of NASA's missions."

Here are some of the unforgettable space discoveries and moments from 2022.

Artemis Imoon mission launches

After years of preparation, NASA finally got its latest lunar exploration program off the ground with an uncrewed test flight that carried anastronaut-worthy spacecraft around the moon.

The mission was chock-full of huge moments. The rocket that got the mission off the ground, the Space Launch System or SLS, became the most powerful rocket ever to reach orbit - boasting 15% more thrust than the Saturn V rockets behind the Apollo program.

Upon reaching space, the Orion capsule, which flew empty save for a few test mannequins, captured stunning images of the Earth and moon. And Orion's orbital path swung farther out beyond the far side of the moon than any spacecraft designed to carry humans has traveled before.

The trial run has paved the way for future Artemis missions, with the aim of returning humans to the lunar surface before mapping out a pathway for the first human spaceflight to Mars.

Webb telescope reveals the invisible universe

In partnership with international space agencies, NASA not only made strides in its human exploration program, but it also notched steps forward in scientific endeavors.After decades of anticipation, the James Webb Space Telescope finally began observing the universe in July.

Since then, the world's most powerful space observatory has turned its gaze on planets, stars and galaxies in infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye.

The telescope has spied unseen aspects of the universe and previously hidden features, including the most distant galaxies ever observed. Webb has also shared new perspectives on some of astronomy's favorite cosmic features and captured them in a new light, such asthe Pillars of Creation.

The telescope's images have already gone beyond what astronomers expected - and the best news: Webb is just getting started.

Observing astronomical wonders for the first time

The Webb telescope, however, wasn't the only space observatory expanding our understanding of deep space.The Hubble Space Telescope spied the most distant single star ever observed, faintly shining 28 billion light-years away. The star existed just 900 million years after the big bang created the universe, and its light has traveled nearly 13 billion years to reach Earth.

Astronomers nicknamed the star Earendel, derived from an Old English word that means "morning star" or "rising light."

Meanwhile, astronomers used the Event Horizon Telescope to capture an image of the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy for the first time. This first direct observation confirmed the presence of the black hole, known as Sagittarius A*, as the beating heart of the Milky Way.

While black holes don't emit light, the shadow of the cosmic object was surrounded by a bright ring - light bent by the gravity of the black hole.

Shifting an asteroid's trajectory in space

In late September, NASA successfullycompleted the first test mission for planetary defense.The space agency slammed a spacecraft into Dimorphos, a small asteroid that orbits a larger space rock named Didymos - and yes,the collision was intentional. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART,was a full-scale demonstration of deflection technology.

Neither Dimorphos nor Didymos poses a threat to Earth, but the system was a perfect target to test a technique that may one day be used to protect the planet from an asteroid strike.

The DART mission marked the first time humanity intentionally changed the motion of a celestial object in space. The spacecraft altered the moonlet asteroid's orbit by 32 minutes.

NASA announces plans to study UFOs

And that's not all 2022 offered when it came to the study of unusual objects in the skies.In June, NASA announced it would delve into the mysteries surrounding unidentified aerial phenomena, more popularly known as unidentified flying objects or UFOs.The space agency later selected a team of experts across numerous disciplines - including astrobiology, data science, oceanography, genetics, policy and planetary science - for the task.

Officials at NASA aren't suggesting aliens may be responsible for such phenomena. The goal is merely to take a serious look at the as-yet-unexplained - but much publicly debated - topic of UAPs and how they might be studied through a scientific lens.

"Without access to an extensive set of data, it is nearly impossible to verify or explain any observation, thus the focus of the study is to inform NASA what possible data could be collected in the future to scientifically discern the nature of UAP," according to a NASA news release.

Milestones on Mars

Meanwhile on the red planet, the InSight lander's mission came to an end due to a surplus of dust on its solar panels (and no whirlwinds to vacuum them clean), but the stationary spacecraft made history in 2022. InSight detected the largest quake on Mars and captured the sounds of space rocks slamming into the planet - which created craters that revealed treasure troves of subsurface ice.

As InSight winds down, the Perseverance rover's sidekick has continued to take to the Martian skies, above and beyond its original five-flight mission. The Ingenuity helicopter broke its own altitude record and has aced 37 flights on the red planet since April 2021. The little chopper has acted as an aerial scout for Perseverance, which collected an incredible diversity of Martian rock and sediment samples.

Now, the rover is setting up a depot of samples that will be stored on the Martian surface. The samples will be retrieved and returned to Earth in 2033 via the ambitious Mars Sample Return program, which will send a lander and a duo of retrieval helicopters to the red planet later this decade.

Interstellar meteor visits our cosmic neighborhood

Speaking of space rocks, a rare specimen traveled to Earth in 2014. But scientists just put its puzzle pieces together this year, and the discovery was announced in a US Space Command document.

The first known interstellar meteor to hit Earth crash-landed along the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea in January 2014.

Interstellar meteors are space rocks originatingfrom outside our solar system, such as ʻOumuamua, the first known interstellar object in our solar system that was detected in 2017.

Debris from Space Shuttle Challenger disaster discovered

To be sure,NASA has seen many successes this year but also faced reminders of tragedy and disaster. Investigators set off in March to search suspected shipwreck sites in the Bermuda Triangle, a swath of the northern Atlantic Ocean said to be the site of dozens of shipwrecks and plane crashes, for a TVdocuseries. But the crew stumbled upon something unexpected at another site off Florida's east coast: a 20-foot-long (6-meter-long) piece of debris from the Space Shuttle Challenger, which broke apartshortly after takeoff in 1986 and killed all seven crew members aboard.

It was the first debris to be discovered since pieces from the shuttle washed ashore in 1996.

"This discovery gives us an opportunity to pause once again, to uplift the legacies of the seven pioneers we lost, and to reflect on how this tragedy changed us," Nelson, the NASA administrator,said in a statement. "At NASA, the core value of safety is - and must forever remain - our top priority, especially as our missions explore more of the cosmos than ever before."

Nascent satellite system provides internet to war-torn Ukraine

As Russia launched its invasion in February and some areas of Ukraine lost internet access, a space-based internet system that barely existed a few years ago began to provide crucial connectivity.

Elon Musk's SpaceX designed and launched the system, called Starlink. It makes use of thousands of small satellites orbiting a few hundred miles above Earth. The satellites work in tandem to blanket the globe in internet connectivity, and all that's needed to get online is an easy-to-use Starlink satellite dish.

Musk and SpaceX sent thousands of those dishes to Ukraine. Though a funding controversy later ensued, the use of Starlink in the Eastern European country was hailed as a game changer in strategic communication for itsmilitary, allowing Ukraine to fight effectively, even as the ongoing war disrupted cellular phone and internet networks.

First all-private mission to the space station

Starlink, however, is one small part of SpaceX's booming business. The company routinely launches not only satellites but also astronauts into space on NASA's behalf. And this year, SpaceX even flew a few wealthy thrill-seekers to the International Space Station on a mission brokered by Axiom. The event marked the first space station mission that was fully paid for by paying customers and included only private citizens.

There were four crew members. Michael López-Alegría, a former NASA astronaut-turned-Axiom employee, was mission commander. And the three paying customers were Israeli businessman Eytan Stibbe, Canadian investor Mark Pathy and Ohio-based real estate magnate Larry Connor.

The mission, called AX-1, launched on April 8 and was originally billed as a 10-day trip. Delays, however, extended the mission by about a week.

Allowing private missions to the space station is part of NASA's plan for more commercial activity in low-Earth orbit as it turns its focus to exploring deep space.

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2022's extraordinary cosmic revelations and moments in space exploration | CNN

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Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more . This year, humankind glimpsed the universe in ways that were never before possible, and space missions took unprecedented leaps forward in unraveling the mysteries of the cosmos.