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The end of the world has been postponed again: the Large Hadron Collider is now out of action until November, after new leaks were found in its tubes.
So, since there's still time to escape, Virgin Galactic has signed a new investor, the Abu Dhabi-based Aabar Investments. The partnership is also expected to include the eventual construction of a spaceport in Abu Dhabi.
In other British spacefaring news, the West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers of Shepton Mallet launched a wedge of cheddar to the edge of space via weather balloon to commemorate the Apollo 11 landing, only to lose track of it when the attached GPS unit and camera broke. The cheese was made of sterner stuff, however, and was eventually recovered after its landing in Cressex and its handover, times being what they are, to the local police.
Not to be outdone, the British more-or-less-technology-related more-or-less-news site The Register has announced plans to release a paper airplane from a similarly high altitude. As Picofarad goes to press, the name El Shag (for Experimental Lightweight Scale High Altitude Glider) is leading the voting.
Previous: The Encounter Log | Picofarad #18 contents | Next: PDX Zine Symposium