By Frank Pompa, Ramon Padilla, Mitchell Thorson USA TODAY March 30, 2017 SpaceX will attempt to make history Thursday night by reusing a rocket booster. The Falcon 9 rocket will deliver a communications satellite into orbit using a first-stage system that they used nearly a year ago. Heres a look at SpaceXs feat to launch and land the system back on Earth. The Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket used to transport satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. Aluminum-lithium alloy tanks fuel nine Merlin engines with liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene propellant, generating more than 1.7 million pounds of thrust. The main engines are cutoff as Falcon 9 nears the edge of Earths atmosphere.The total burn time from launch is 162 seconds. Once beyond Earths atmopshere, the pneumatic stage separation system releases the first stage from the second stage. A single Merlin engine fires, propelling stage two into orbit. The fairing separates from the second stage,exposing the satellite. Merlin engines ignite on the first stage, setting it on a trajectory for the landing site. The second stage releases the satellite into a predetermined orbit. The first stage undergoes a flip maneuver using onboard cold gas thrusters. When complete, it … Continue reading →

ABC 13 seasons into her run as the star of Grey's Anatomy, Ellen Pompeois finally adding another title to her actor-producer hyphenate: Director. The actress stepped behind the camera for the first time this year, and the fruits of her labor are debuting tonight with the moving Maggie-centric episode thatchronicles the young thoracic surgeon's quest to cure her adoptive mom after learning just how sick she truly is. While directing wasn't always part of Pompeo's plan, when the offer tocraft an hour of the show that made her a star came her way, she had no choice but to say yes. Eventually. "The directing came about because Ms. Debbie Allen, she'd been after me to direct for a while.And I kept saying no," Pompeo admitted in a featurette released by ABC."But Debbie doesn't take no for an answer and my boss [Shonda Rhimes] wrote a book called The Year of Yes,and those two things combined make it pretty hard to say no to people around here." As Allen, who not only recurs as Dr. Catherine Avery, but also serves an executive producer, puts it, the decision to get Pompeo behind the camera was a no-brainer."Ellen Pompeo as an actor has … Continue reading →

SERIES The Big Bang Theory Leonard, Penny and Raj (Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco and Kunal Nayyar) settle into their new living arrangement while Sheldon (Jim Parsons) suddenly shows an interest in Amys (Mayim Bialik) work in this new episode. 8 p.m. CBS Supernatural Sam and Dean (Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles) join others in a hunt for a werewolf, which bites Claire Novak (recurring guest star Kathryn Love Newton), and the Winchester siblings have to try to save her. Adam Fergus also guest stars. 8 p.m. KTLA Greys Anatomy When Maggies (Kelly McCreary) mother (guest star LaTanya Richardson Jackson) takes a turn for the worse, the doctors dont agree on the best course of treatment in this new episode, directed by series star Ellen Pompeo. James Pickens Jr. and Chandra Wilson also star. 8 p.m. ABC MasterChef: Junior Edition The young cooks prepare chicken dinners for judges Richard Blais, Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi. 8 p.m. Fox The Great Indoors Jack (Joel McHale) is having a hard time concentrating at work due to the millennials distracting antics. Maggie Lawson (Psych) continues her guest role as Rachel. Stephen Fry, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chris Williams and Christine Ko also star. 8:30 p.m. CBS Chicago … Continue reading →

Do not disturb! One of this season's most memorable Grey's Anatomy moments has undoubtedly been Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) and April Kepner (Sarah Drew) getting frisky in a hotel hallway during the Thursday, March 16, episode. But the surprise hookup was not exactly a happy turn of events for all fans. Slowly Reconnecting The ABC medical drama dropped hints throughout that episode that Jackson and Avery were going to get back together during their trip to Montana. Indeed, the couple were shown FaceTiming their daughter and collaborating to plan a surgery, with the procedure proving to be a success in more ways than one. The surgeons accomplished a tough operation that had never been done before on a young girl with a throat tumor. Even though they have been constantly bickering in recent episodes, they actually came together to save a life. We did it, Jackson told his ex after they teamed up to perform a risky operation on a young girl with a throat tumor. The Hotel Heats Up Following surgery, the two were about to part ways to rest in their separate hotel rooms. However, the small talk they exchanged in the hallway suggested they had another activity … Continue reading →

Will Shuester may need detention for his upcoming behavior on "Grey's Anatomy." A few days ago, the news came out that "Glee" alum Mattthew Morrison would be joining "Grey's" Season 13 as Dr. Paul Stadler. Photos showed him with Justin Chambers (Alex Karev) in Episode 23. All of that pointed directly to Morrison booking the role of Dr. Jo Wilson's (Camilla Luddington) abusive husband, from whom she fled. It was previously reported that "Grey's" was casting a new doc for the final four episodes of this season, with a possible return in Season 14. TVLine said they were seeking "a Caucasian actor in his mid 40s to play a new doctor who is 'appealing, charismatic and charming' in other words, a total freakin' catch. The twist? He's has a 'manipulative, scary dark side.'" That was always expected to be Jo's hubby. We don't even know Jo's real name, but it's possible her last name is still Stadler, if Morrison's character is indeed her husband. It also fits to have Alex in the picture, since it would be a very Alex thing to do to track him down to get a divorce in motion -- or just to confront the guy … Continue reading →

Getty Images Ron Batzdorff/ABC Grey's Anatomy star Jessica Capshaw hasn't ruled out Sara Ramirez ever returning to the show. Talking to TVLine, Capshaw reckons that despite her character Arizona Robbins getting in a relationship with Eliza Minnick (Marika Dominczyk), we could still see the return of Arizona's ex Callie Torres, played by Ramirez. "I feel like nothing is impossible. There's a great chance she would come back for something," she believed. ABC Advertisement - Continue Reading Below However, a return for Dr Torres seems unlikely given Ramirez's calling out ABC last month for airing a joke about bisexual people on sitcom The Real O'Neals, which led to a petition accusing the network of biphobia. Ramirez, who identifies as bisexual, urged her followers on Twitter to sign the petition, adding that "WORDS MATTER". "And as someone who worked 4 them 4 10+ years, am truly disheartened & disappointed quite frankly. I will invest my brand where I'm respected," she added, asking the network to "empower our queer and bisexual youth & community". Ramirez left Grey's Anatomy last year to take "some welcome time off". ABC Adam Taylor "I'm deeply grateful to have spent the last 10 years with my family at … Continue reading →