Next generation German and French main battle tank will use new 130 mm tank gun to defeat Russian Armata tank

German defense company Rheinmetall has a prototype of a 130mm smoothbore gun for a future main battle tank (MBT). According to the company, the increase of 8 percent in caliber results in 50 percent more kinetic energy over the 120mm gun from Rheinmetall. The 130mm gun, which was financed entirely by the German company, weighs …

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History and Future of Laser Pushed Sails which have a clear technology roadmap and $100 million in funding

James Benford has written a historical timeline for the development of laser pushed space sails. Here is the part on the laser pushed sail Becoming Real May 21, 2010: First deployment of a functional solar sail in space, “IKAROS” (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun) is demonstrated by the Japanese Space Agency JAXA. …

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Spacecoach concept is to use urine and gas as propellent for electric engine propulsion for long duration space missions to reduce mass by 20 times

On an 800 day space mission, astronauts would need 24 tons for six people for consumables (water, oxygen and food). McConnell and Alex Tolley have an idea is to deploy electric engines that use reclaimed water and waste gases to do the job. Spacecoach enables us to begin building a space infrastructure that can extend …

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China will make BeiDou Navigation Satellite System available to global users by 2020

China is making preparations to make its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) available to global users, according to a white paper released by the Chinese government on Thursday, June 16, the Xinhua News Agency reported. The State Council Information Office discussed the country’s action plan and a three-step strategy to develop the BDS with the …

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Sidewalk Labs will launch Flow a smart traffic and parking platform in Columbus, Ohio

Google’s Sidewalk labs will introduce Columbus, Ohio to Flow, a smart traffic platform that processes information and fare cost from every available form of transportation. A user can type a destination into Google Maps and the app suggests the best trips based on pricing and timing. Low-income riders might be able to apply their discounted …

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Researchers propose EM drive propulsion from emission of paired photons

Recent reports about propulsion without reaction mass have been met on one hand with enthusiasm and on the other hand with some doubts. Namely, closed metal cavities, when fueled with microwaves, have delivered thrust that could eventually maintain satellites on orbits using solar power. However, the measured thrust appears to be without any apparent exhaust. …

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China 093B attack submarine could be a match for the US Improved Los Angeles Class sub

Some US naval analysts believe China’s new Type 093B nuclear-powered attack submarine are on par with the U.S. Navy’s Improved Los Angeles-class submarines. The 93B is improved over the 93. The 93B is a transition platform between the 93 and the forthcoming 95. Jerry Hendrix, director of the Defense Strategies and Assessments Program at the …

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Big Helium find in East Africa could be the first of many helium discoveries

A newly discovered helium field in the geothermally active East African Rift Valley may contain more helium than the U.S. Federal Helium Reserve near Amarillo, Texas, which holds about 30 percent of the world’s helium supply. Independent experts have calculated a probable resource of 54 billion cubic feet [1.5 billion cubic meters] in just one …

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IBM promises a 200 Petaflop Supercomputer by 2018 but site and installation funding has not been awarded – Loss of US supercomputing leadership would have staggering consequences

IBM is promising that a 200 petaflop supercomputer for 2018 that would top China’s 93 petaflop Sunway TaihuLight, which recently took the top spot in the Top 500 rankings of the world’s most powerful supercomputers. The machine, called IBM Summit, will be delivered to the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in early …

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Third Generation Laser Uranium Enrichment Technology is likely over 5 times more energy efficient and more compact than the best centrifuges

New laser-based uranium enrichment technology may provide a hard-to-detect pathway to nuclear weapons production according to a forthcoming paper (25 pages) Ryan Snyder, a physicist with Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security. Research on the relevant laser systems for laser enrichment is also currently ongoing in the United States, Russia, India, China and …

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