How a "self-eating" spacecraft could make exploration more affordable  January 29, 2026

 

What's up, sunshine? I'm Coy Wire. Welcome to CNN 10, where I tell you the what, letting you decide what to think. Speaking of sunshine, I was just reading about solar eclipses and why, even though the sun is about 400 times larger than the moon, they appear to be the same size in our sky because each of their diameters to distance from Earth ratios are both 1 to 100.

 

Talk about a cosmic coincidence. All right, I digress. The space news story that we are starting with today is what's being called a self-eating spacecraft, an out-of-this-world idea that could make cheaper space exploration a reality.

 

cosmic coincidence 宇宙巧合

digress [daɪˈɡrɛs] v. 离题

out-of-this-world【口】极好的

 

Meridian Space Command claims its Economic Transfer Vehicle or ETV actually consumes its own fuel tank as it propels itself into space.

 

meridian [mǝˈrɪdɪǝn] n.【天】【测】子午线，经线

 

It has a polymer fuel tank filled with hydrogen peroxide, the stuff you find in your medicine cabinet, and a special motor superheats the fuel which reacts with the surrounding tank to combust, producing thrust while simultaneously eating up the tank, so to speak.

 

polymer [ˈpɑlɪmɚ] n.【化】聚合物

hydrogen peroxide 过氧化氢

 

The company says the cannibal craft allows for bigger payloads.

 

cannibal [ˈkænǝbḷ] adj. 同类相食的

 

We are talking deep space travel on a budget.

 

What happens is that when you thrust, the length of this tank gets shorter and shorter and shorter until you're left with a little stubby tank. So you can start sending small payloads to really high energy locations in the inner solar system, you know, to the moon, beyond.

 

stubby [ˈstʌbɪ] adj. 短而粗硬的；矮胖的

inner solar system 太阳系内侧

 

Now, the concept is still in its preliminary stage, but the company hopes it will enable smaller startups to explore space for a fraction of the cost, while also reducing the amount of space debris orbiting around the Earth.

 

News out of Connecticut now, where science meets sports and snow. They are creating snow to prepare for their upcoming Special Olympics Winter Games.

 

Crews are turning cold air and water into shred-ready courses, and local Connecticut TV station WTIC has an awesome explainer of how it's done.

 

shred [ʃrɛd] v. to make a series of quick turns on a wave or snow, for example, when riding a board such as a surfboard or snowboard

explainer [ɪkˈsplenɚ] n. a text or video, usually a short and simple one, that is intended to explain something

 

We started yesterday at about eight o'clock. I'm running five guns.

 

I got an electric air compressor. I got the water from the fire hydrant. We mix them together in the guns and make snow when it's cold like it is today.

 

The Connecticut Special Olympics Winter Games needs snow. Piles of it. There's a lot of effort that goes into it.

 

Months of planning beforehand. All the pipes need to be connected. They need to be brought in.

 

Compressors need to be brought in, and as you can see right now, five snow guns, they are blaring away, making large piles of snow.

 

blare [blɛr] v. 刺耳地鸣响; 刺耳地发出

 

Andy Collette is the company's resident snowman, making snowfall just in time for the Games to begin for more than 20 years.

 

I actually make more ice crystals than I do snow, like fluffy snow.

 

fluffy [ˈflʌfɪ] adj. 松软的

 

Fluffy snow will melt a lot faster if we get a rainstorm, so I make big piles of almost like salt or sugar crystals.

 

His experience has this man-made blizzard down to a science. Snow will spray from these hoses for 100 hours and requires near perfect conditions.

 

We just went through a January thaw for nine days. We don't know what February is going to bring, so I will make the piles. The piles last a lot longer than flattening out the snow.

 

thaw [θɔ] n. 融化，解冻

 

I like single-digit temperatures or very low humidity are perfect for these types of snow guns.

 

Eventually, these piles will get flattened and molded into the cross-country skiing and snowshoe events. Volunteers work the 1,200 feet of air and water pipes day and night in freezing temps to make it happen.

 

flatten [ˈflætṇ] v. 弄平

cross-country [ˈkrɔsˈkʌntrɪ] adj. 越野的

 

It's a special kind of work for Connecticut's Special Olympians.

 

In the mountains of Chile's Patagonia, a conservation effort months in the making is finally taking flight. CNN's Daniela Torres shows us how science and community come together to protect the nation's iconic species.

 

After months of rehabilitation, three young Andean condors are flying free again in Patagonia.

 

condor [ˈkɑndɚ] n.【鸟】兀鹰

 

A symbol of Andean culture for millennia, the species can reach a wingspan of up to three meters and live more than 70 years, according to the Rewilding Chile Foundation.

 

According to the foundation, the release took place in Patagonia National Park as part of the Manco Project, a collaborative initiative between public and private institutions dedicated to conserving the Andean condor.

 

Garmin, born in captivity, and the rescued males Aupinco and Parellon were rehabilitated and transferred to Patagonia last October.

 

After three months of acclimatization, they were finally released into their natural habitat. The emotional moment was witnessed by authorities and local communities, who also took part in educational talks about the ecological importance of the Andean condor.

 

acclimatization [ǝˌklaɪmǝtɪˈzеʃǝn] n.【美】适应环境，服水土，适应气候

 

Each bird carries satellite and radio transmitters, allowing researchers to monitor their adaptation to the natural environment and collect key information about their movements, threats, and use of the territory.

 

Since 2014, the Manco Project has released 24 Andean condors, strengthening efforts to protect one of the Andes' most emblematic and essential species.

 

emblematic [ˌɛmblɪˈmætɪk] adj. 象征的；可当标志的

 

Pop quiz hot shot, Taco Bell, was one of the first major chains to offer what feature nationwide?

 

Online ordering, drive-thru service, vegetarian menu, or all-day breakfast.

 

If you said vegetarian menu, cool beans! In 2015, Taco Bell partnered with the American Vegetarian Association.

 

According to Forbes, the chain saves millions of dollars when customers choose to swap beans for beef or chicken.

 

Taco Bell says, quote, value is the secret sauce behind its remarkable sales growth. I apologize for this next story.

 

If you are hungry, CNN's Jordan Walensky visited the birthplace of Doritos Locos Tacos, the Mexican pizza, the now-defunct edible rice paper taco wrapper, the Live Mas Innovation Center. That's what I'm Taco aBell, not your average assignment. Let's see it.

 

Doritos Locos Tacos 多力多滋脆皮卷饼; 起司多力多滋玉米脆饼塔可

defunct [dɪˈfʌŋkt] adj. 不复存在的; 已废除的

 

All right, we're here on the line, and what are we going to make?

 

We're going to make the mini taco salad. You ready? Yeah, let's do it. Let's go.

 

Americans love Taco Bell. Consumers are cutting back spending as prices climb, often ditching bowls and burgers. But even as rivals struggle, Taco Bell sales are up, growing consistently over the past five years.

 

ditch [dɪtʃ] v.【俚】拋棄，丟棄

 

Customers keep coming back to the chain. We visited Taco Bell's test kitchen in Irvine, California, to find out why.

 

You start off, we're going to take our delightful, crispy little shell.

 

So we're going to put a secret pocket of seasoned beans. That's the first thing we're going to make.

 

Taco Bell is introducing new products to its value menu this week.

 

Churros and a mini taco salad. The chain credits its innovative, affordable menu for rising sales, jumping again by 7% late last year. That's more than double McDonald's or Burger King.

 

credit [ˈkrɛdɪt] v. 归功于

 

Why do you think Taco Bell is so successful in the space right now? I mean, it has several consecutive quarters, same store growth. Yeah.

 

Other chains are struggling, right? I mean, what's your secret sauce?

 

I think one of the biggest reasons we're ahead is value.

 

And so, as we look at 2026, that's going to be a core part of how we stay ahead. We wanted to take it to another level. And that's because we listen to consumers so much.

 

You start to stay relevant with culture, listening to where young consumers are, where our biggest fans are.

 

I want to ask what you're hearing from consumers in terms of, you know, how they're spending it.

 

Snacking and like treating yourself, especially with Gen Z and young consumers is huge. And like things like the dessert churro, the dip, play a lot of into that role.

 

snacking [ˈsnækɪŋ] n.【美】吃快餐；吃點心; 吃零食

 

But consumer tastes are always evolving. So Taco Bell has to keep up.

 

So the sensory lab, this is where we actually conduct sensory testing.

 

So this is where all the new food gets tested here?

 

A lot of the new food comes through here, yeah, before actually the public starts to see it. So we'll ask things like, what's your overall liking of the product? Is this spicy? Tell me how spicy it is.

 

Tell me if it's beefy. If we're doing a flavor like Chipotle, for example, it'll say like, do you, is the flavor just right? Is it too much? Is it too little?

 

beefy [ˈbifɪ] adj. 结实的，壮硕的

chipotle [tʃɪˈpotle] n. 墨西哥烟椒

 

Potential products see months of brainstorming research before heading into the sensory lab.

 

And then after that, we'll then go into actual restaurants and we'll go into a market typically.

 

So for the value menu, went into Indianapolis in July, tested with consumers.

 

So is each item tested in here? Yeah, every item. What about the churros?

 

It was absolutely amazing. They loved it straight off. We got that one right.

 

Today's story, getting a 10 out of 10, a tale of a record breaking pup that's positively massive.

 

Meet Minnie, a Great Dane who is definitely not so Minnie. She's been named the tallest living female dog by Guinness world records.

 

When you submit to Guinness, they tell you that it may take up to 12 weeks.

 

In Minnie's case, it took much longer. Her family started the process nearly a year ago, following strict rules to make sure every measurement was positively exact.

 

Her height from ground to withers or ridge between her shoulder blades, a whopping three feet, two and a quarter inches.

 

withers [ˈwɪðɚz] n. (馬) 肩隆

shoulder blade 肩胛骨

 

This is a measuring stick for a miniature horse. This great Dane Minnie has a great personality, playful, gentle, and despite her size, she is convinced she's a lap dog.

 

I have two shout outs for us today.

 

Thanks to everyone who's been subscribing and commenting on our CNN 10 YouTube channel and following us at CNN 10 @CoyWire on Instagram. Like Ms. Hepworth at Baker Demonstration School in Wilmette, Illinois. Rise up.

 

Thank you for being awesome. And yeti or not, shout out to Mr. Pryor in Crosstown High School in Memphis, Tennessee. I see you yetis.

 

yeti [ˈjɛtɪ] n. （傳說中喜馬拉雅山的）雪人

 

Thank you for making us a part of your day. Go make it a great day. And we'll see you right back here tomorrow.

 

I'm Coy Wire and we are CNN 10.