An Electric Sail (E-sail) propulsion study has been funded for a 2015 NAIC Phase II study. The international team includes: the inventor and patent holder of the E-Sail propulsion system (Dr. Pekka Janhunen of the Finish Meteorological Institute (FMI), the Principal Investigator for NASA’s previous Tether Satellite System experiments that were flown on the Space …
NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts has a phase 2 funding for 3D Photocatalytic Air Processor for Dramatic Reduction of Life Support Mass and Complexity Bin Chen of the University of California will lead the study. The abundant high-energy light in space (with wavelengths as low as 190 nm, compared to 300 nm on Earth) makes the …
Boeing’s new Compact Laser Weapon System (LWS) breaks down into four parts, each transportable by one or two Marines. Boeing says these components include: * a battery * a water-cooled chiller * a commercially available fiber laser * an upgraded beam director, weighing 40% less than a previous model. In total, the system weighs about …
NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is healthy and stable, after experiencing an anomaly in the system that controls its orientation. It is still in its second mapping orbit 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers) above dwarf planet Ceres. On June 30, shortly after turning on its ion engine to begin the gradual spiral down to the next mapping orbit, …
These are the most recent high-resolution views of Pluto sent by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, including one showing the four mysterious dark spots on Pluto that have captured the imagination of the world. The Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) obtained these three images between July 1 and 3 of 2015, prior to the July 4 …
An update on China’s high speed rail and regular construction 2015 the total length of railways in service would reach 120,000 kilometers, 2015 total length of high speed rail in operation would be 18,000 kilometers. At the end of 2014, total length of railways in service reached 112,000 kilometers 70,000 kilometers of rail was in …
Germany plans to update their Main Battle Tank (MBT), the Leopard 2, less than three weeks after the Russians debuted their new Armata tanks. The Germans will be conducting joint capability studies with France, set to run through 2018, before deciding on a design. Germany will modernize and put back into service 100 mothballed Leopard …
Belgian Blue cattle are hulking animals that provide unusually large amounts of prized, lean cuts of beef, the result of decades of selective breeding. Now, a team of scientists from South Korea and China says that it has created the porcine equivalent using a much faster method. Key to creating the double-muscled pigs is a …
The Royal Thai Navy has chosen Chinese-made models for its 36-billion-baht (US$1.1 billion)submarine project. Thailand will also get three submarines, plus an eight-year weaponry and parts support package. Since last year’s coup in Thailand, Bangkok has been working on expanding its ties with China and this submarine purchase is a good step in that direction. …
A study of more than 300,000 nuclear-industry workers in France, the United States and the United Kingdom, all of whom wore dosimeter badges, has provided exactly these data. A consortium of researchers coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France, examined causes of death in the workers (one-fifth of whom …
One year of gene therapy treatment for cystic fibrosis resulted in 3.7% improvement and stabilization of the disease compared to a placebo group. Cystic fibrosis affects about 70,000 people worldwide. Mutations in a single gene – CFTR – cause problems around the body, but particularly in the lungs. People with cystic fibrosis produce thick, sticky …