🛩 Are homemade planes safe?

It’s Sunday, January 21 — people are talking about Japan’s moon landing, the potential dangers of homemade planes, and more.

As always, we’ve summarized and organized the different shades of perspective, so you can see the big picture quickly. Here at Shades we believe that seeing multiple points of view is the best way to stay informed.

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- Jeff (co-founder of Shades)

🇯🇵 Japan lands on the moon

Japan's “Moon Sniper” spacecraft successfully landed on the moon.

🇯🇵 Japan Times: Japan's spacecraft “Moon Sniper” landed on the lunar surface, making Japan the 5th country to ever successfully land on the moon.

🇯🇵 The Hindu says the mission is a big deal: Japan's mission puts tech to the test that's key for finding water on the moon.

🇯🇵 But CNN notes that Japan's landing didn't go perfectly to plan: A solar cell issue threatened the mission's success shortly after landing.

🇯🇵 @planet4589 thinks the landing is still a big win for Japan, though: It's a short-lived but successful mission.

🛩 Are homemade planes safe?

DIY airplanes: Some swear by the joy and low cost of self-made aircraft, while others caution the risks.

🛩 After a Cozy Mark IV home-built plane crashed in California, AP News says it raised questions about the safety of these increasingly common aircraft.

🛩 NBC26 says many pilots opt for homemade planes because they're about a quarter of the price. You can buy them partially made or start from scratch.

🛩 And AVweb reports that they're getting safer: Homebuilt plane fatal accidents dropped 28% in 2023 compared to 2022.

🛩 Aero Corner thinks that one of the biggest factors in a homemade plane's safety is if the pilot built it. Every plane is unique, and the pilot needs to know what exactly they're flying.

Quick hits

🇩🇪 Over 100,000 people protested throughout Germany against the AfD party's consideration of mass deportations. (The Guardian)

🎾 Novak Djokovic made the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, matching Roger Federer's record of 58 major quarterfinal appearances. (AP News)

🇺🇸 Nikki Haley publicly questioned Ex-President Trump’s mental capacity after he appeared to confuse her with Nancy Pelosi in a campaign speech. (NPR)

🇮🇱 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected the idea of a creation of a Palestinian state. (BBC)

Thanks for reading. If you have any feedback or want to share your thoughts or ideas, please email me at [email protected].