Nation · Lead Story · 2026-10-15
New U.S. unemployment claims edge up to 199,000
The October 15 report shows a small increase in initial applications and a decline in continuing insured unemployment.
New applications for unemployment benefits totaled a seasonally adjusted 199,000 in the week ending October 10, the Labor Department reported October 15. That was 1,000 above the previous week’s revised figure of 198,000.
The four-week average, which smooths some weekly variation, increased by 250 to 198,500. The prior week’s average was revised upward by 250, illustrating why a single preliminary release should not be treated as a final count.
Continuing insured unemployment uses an earlier reporting week. For the week ending October 3, the seasonally adjusted total fell by 4,000 to 1.710 million. The insured unemployment rate remained 1.1%.
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Science · 2026-10-15
Dragon docks at space station with research cargo and final solar arrays
NASA confirmed the October 15 arrival of more than 6,300 pounds of supplies and equipment.
A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft docked with the International Space Station at 10:27 a.m. Eastern on October 15, NASA confirmed. It arrived at the space-facing port of the Harmony module on SpaceX’s 35th commercial resupply mission for the agency.
The shipment includes more than 6,300 pounds of food, equipment and research materials, together with the final pair of station roll-out solar arrays. The arrays have arrived but still require later installation.
Read articleTechnology · 2026-10-14
NASA tests solid-state batteries for extreme lunar conditions
Laboratory prototypes operated at very low temperatures, while survival tests examined a wider range of heat and cold.
NASA described recent tests of solid-state battery prototypes in an October 14 research update. The SPEARS project is led by Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, with thermal-vacuum testing at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
Small cells operated up to 80 degrees Celsius and down to minus 60 Celsius, with reduced performance at minus 80 Celsius. NASA also reported that exposure to temperatures from 100 to minus 170 Celsius did not damage the prototypes.
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