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Say hello to NASA's first commercial flight astronauts
NASA has selected four veteran astronauts to work with both SpaceX and Boeing in preparation for commercial spaceflights. It's a major step for both NASA and the US government towards returning space launches to the USA: in recent years it's had to depend on Russia to get people (and things) into space. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said that the four astronauts will be: "blazing a new trail -- a trail that will one day land them in the history books and Americans on the surface of Mars." Astronauts and test pilots Robert Behnken, Eric Boe, Douglas Hurley and Sunita Williams will help develop the commercial company's crew transport systems, and help take astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
Delta to begin flight bookings on Facebook (updated: it's live now)
Delta has announced that it's going to allow booking of flights on Facebook, and it's launched a "Ticket Window" to allow users to do just that. This is apparently just the first of many Ticket Windows, which the company also plans on installing in banner ads, making it the first airline to move in this direction. Presumably the draw here will be to streamline the booking process, making it easier for Delta customers to book their flights. Delta, which is the largest commercial airline in the world is facing ever-increasing and savvy competition from smaller, more web-friendly airlines like Virgin and Jet Blue. It's unclear when the Facebook ticketing will begin, but for now, it's fair to say that, at least in theory, we "like" this. Updated: The company that developed the app, Alvenda, has informed us that it is, in fact, live on Facebook now -- so go start booking flights!
