The conventional means of collecting and redirecting solar sail light uses a metal-coated polyimide film but this is sub-optimal and unstable because the very large and very thin sail must be rapidly slewed away from the sun line for navigational purposes. Stability rigging and attitude control devices add mass to the sailcraft, thereby reducing the …
The UAE Space Agency and EXOLAUNCH announced that MeznSat will be launched into orbit by the end of this year in a joint agreement. MeznSat will operate using a shortwave infrared spectrometer to measure the abundance and distribution of methane and carbon dioxide in UAE’s atmosphere. A team of students will monitor, process, and analyze …
Rocket Lab launched seven payloads to orbit yesterday. The mission, named ‘It’s Business Time,’ marks Rocket Lab’s second successful orbital launch and deployment of customer satellites. Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle lifted-off from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula at 16:50 on 11 November NZDT (03:50 UTC). After first reaching orbit on Electron’s …
NASA and the US Army have tested 100 megabit per second laser communication with a cubesat. This is 50 times better than 2 megabit per second radio communication to cubesats that are currently used. Optical Communications and Sensor Demonstration (OCSD) CubeSat could be improved to 2.5 gigabits per second with relatively simple upgrades to the …
Two small satellites, scheduled for launch in 2018, will provide the Coast Guard with the opportunity to test the effectiveness of satellite communications in supporting Arctic search and rescue missions. These satellites, or “cubesats,” are capable of detecting transmissions from emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs), which are carried on board vessels to broadcast their …
David Kirtley, MSNW, LLC, Magnetoshell Aerocapture for Manned Missions and Planetary Deep Space Orbiters The Magnetoshell deploys a simple dipole magnetic field containing a magnetized plasma. It is interaction of the atmosphere with this magnetized plasma that supplies a significant impediment to atmospheric flow past the spacecraft, and thereby producing the desired drag for braking. …
The first true brain-to-brain communication in people could start next year, thanks to huge recent advances. Early attempts won’t quite resemble telepathy as we often imagine it. Our brains work in unique ways, and the way each of us thinks about a concept is influenced by our experiences and memories. This results in different patterns …
IBM scientists have created randomly spiking neurons using phase-change materials to store and process data. This demonstration marks a significant step forward in the development of energy-efficient, ultra-dense integrated neuromorphic technologies for applications in cognitive computing. The technology could lead to the development of neuromorphic computers with highly co-located memory and processing units to speed …
Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) Company, has successfully demonstrated a 30-mile autonomous flight using a Sikorsky S-76® commercial helicopter to complete Phase 1 of an $8 million award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)’s Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) program. Sikorsky’s ALIAS system directed the rotorcraft flight demonstration from Sikorsky’s Stratford, …
Future Vertical Lift, or FVL, is an initiative looking at the next-generation of rotorcraft for 2040 and beyond for the U.S. military. FVL recently added new architecture, which promises to increase safety and security and reduce cost overruns, delays and performance problems, according to Alex Boydston. It’s called Architecture Centric Virtual Integration Process, or ACVIP, …
Battelle’s revolutionary DroneDefenderTM, is a portable, accurate, rapid-to-use counter-weapon to stop suspicious or hostile drones in flight, providing critical security protection at home and abroad. The Battelle DroneDefender uses radio control frequency disruption technologies to safely stop drones in the air, before they can pose a threat to military or civilian safety. The growing use …