

News
NASA successfully tested the first rocket engines for launch from another planet (from Mars)
NASA has released a test video of advanced SRM1 and SRM2 solid propellant engines. The tests were carried out back in the spring: SRM2 was tested on March 29 at the Northrop Grumman base in Elkton, Maryland (there, by the way, a plant for mass production of engines for hypersonic missiles had just opened), and SRM1 was tested on April 7 at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Both of these engines will be used in the MAV (Mars Ascent Vehicle) rocket as part of the mission to deliver Martian soil samples to Earth. MAV should become almost the centerpiece of the mission: its task is to transfer samples from the surface of Mars to the Earth Return Orbiter. The task of SRM1 is to push the rocket away from the Martian surface, while SRM2 will put the MAV into the correct orbit of the Red Planet to transfer Earth Return Orbiter samples.
The SRM1 was tested in a vacuum chamber that was cooled to minus 20 degrees Celsius, and the testers were also able to evaluate the performance of the SRM1 thrust vector control system.
Qualification tests are now being prepared, in which engineers plan to verify the stability of the engine during intense shaking and vibration (as during a rocket launch), near-space vacuum, extreme heat and cold.

Software
The biggest Windows 11 update: not only new features, but also losses in Explorer

Yesterday, Microsoft released the biggest update since the existence of the Windows 11 operating system. As users discovered, along with the Windows 11 23H2 (or Moment 4) update, one useful feature disappeared from the OS.
We are talking about the possibility of “drag and drop”. As Mayank Parmar, owner of the WindowsLatest topic resource, humorously complains, new Microsoft developers clearly don’t like the drag-and-drop feature or don’t understand its importance.
When Windows 11 first came out, users couldn’t drag and drop items onto the taskbar like they were used to. The option was returned a year later in the Windows 11 22H2 update. Microsoft “celebrated” the option as a completely new feature, although it was familiar to many different versions of Windows. And it looks like history will repeat itself.
Windows 11 23H2 introduces Explorer with a redesigned design, recommendations, and a new address bar that’s deeply integrated with OneDrive cloud storage. Microsoft support explains:
Explorer’s newly designed address bar recognizes local and cloud folders. It also shows the status of the file. For Microsoft OneDrive users, the address bar now includes OneDrive sync status and a storage limits pop-up window.
This is all well and good, but with the new address bar you can no longer drag and drop files or apps. For example, if you have two folders on your computer and you want to move a file from one to the other. Previously, when dragging, the “Move to…” mark appeared, but now it is gone, and the entire function does not work. Here is one typical complaint:
Removing this feature from the address bar has disrupted my workflow many times lately.
A Microsoft representative said that the company is aware of these changes, but that no decision has been made in this regard. The company reported:
This [перетаскивание] is not currently supported by the updated address bar… we will continue to monitor feedback.
Software
Another Google app surpasses 5 billion downloads

Another app in the Google ecosystem has crossed the milestone of 5 billion downloads on the Google Play app store: Google Messages, the basic messaging app for Android smartphones.
Formerly called Android Messages, it has become one of the most used SMS, MMS and RCS messaging apps, offering a clean interface and useful features. For example, the app can be combined with a web desktop client, allowing you to read and reply to messages from your tablet, PC, Mac or Chromebook.
The last time Google Messages reached a major milestone was in the spring of 2020, when the app was downloaded one billion times. At that time, the app was not installed by default on most Android devices, with the exception of Google Pixel series smartphones.
Google Play stats include downloads and preinstalls, but do not include updates. The biggest change from 2020 is that Samsung has adopted Google Messages as the default messaging app for phones like the Galaxy S22 series. It’s possible that Samsung’s popularity has contributed significantly to the rapid growth of Google Messages.
Gaming
Sacred massacre in the name of Svarog, blessing of Perun and godly festivities after the victory over the lizards. The action game “Rus vs. Lizards” was released on Steam

Today on Steam there was a release of the action game “Rus vs. Lizards” from the developers of the Bratans. The game, “similar to Dark Souls,” plunges into the world of Hyperborea, where the player will have to overcome “hordes of Lizards and other Herods who encroached on the holy places of the Ancestors“
System requirements are quite moderate by modern standards. Recommended CPU – Core i7 with a frequency of 2.8 GHz, 16 GB of RAM, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT video card. The developers say that everything is created strictly according to scientific documents and guarantee 3D graphics with “logs of 8 polygons minimum“
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