Month: September 2016

Brookhaven breakthrough determines density of electron pairs controls critical temperature in superconductors and this will pave the way to room temperature superconductors

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In a recent breakthrough, scientists at the Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory got one step closer to understanding how to make that possible. The research, led by physicist Ivan Bozovic, involves a class of compounds called cuprates, which contain layers of copper and oxygen atoms. To figure out the mystery of “high-temperature” superconductivity in …

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US Army and Marines deploying anti-drone technology and surveillance drones by end of 2017 at the squad level

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PAtrick Tucker of Defense One reports that in the Ukraine-Russia war the Russian-backed infantry and artillery units have used more than 16 types of drones to identify enemy positions and deliver fire, often within minutes. The US Army has the Maneuver Fires Integration Experiment at Fort Sill in Oklahoma to speed next-generation anti-drone technology to …

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South Korea will build or buy a new anti drone laser defense after failing to down North Korean drones in August

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South Korea will develop or purchase a new laser air defense weapon to bring down small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sent by North Korea, military officials said Wednesday. “Amid growing worries about possible terror attacks by North Korea’s unmanned drones, we are planning to secure a high-precision weapon which can detect, trace and hit a …

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Tiltrotor drone is in development and the target is 2023 for production

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Bell Helicopter is designing a new tiltrotor drone about the size of the Air Force’s armed MQ-9 Reaper, with similar capabilities, that it hopes the Marines will buy. They call it the V-247 Vigilant, so named because Bell promises that two of the sea-based drones could provide Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) over a given …

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Spacex 61 page presentation on the Interplanetary Transport System and the sustainable Mars colony plan

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Spacex and Elon Musk have the 61 page presentation of the Interplanetary Transport System and the plan from early exploration to a sustainable colony on Mars However, besides the test firings of the new Raptor engine that is needed for the Mars transport, Spacex has also built a full sized carbon composite fuel tank. The …

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Investigation confirms Russian missiles shot down Malaysian jet over Ukraine

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A Dutch-led investigation team said Wednesday that the surface-to-air missile that downed a passenger jet over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people aboard, came from Russia and was fired from territory held by pro-Moscow separatists. Investigators stopped short of directly accusing Russia of complicity in the attack on the Malaysia Airlines jet, and …

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Video of Elon Musk talking about Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species

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Elon is spending a few tens of millions of dollars per year now on the Interplanetary effort. The plan is in the 18-24 month timeframe after the final Falcon 9 is finished, Falcon Heavy is done and reusability is worked out then most of the engineering team will focus on the Interplanetary system. The spending …

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Reaction Engines UK plans integrated hypersonic engine tests by 2020-2021 with joint strike fighter sized engine

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Reaction Engines of the UK has scaled back its design for the Sabre engine to bring about a demonstrator that is more affordable and better suited to early applications, including a potential X-plane. The Oxfordshire-based firm has been developing a turbine that combines both jet and rocket technologies to achieve rates five times the speed …

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US Army and Navy have multiple projects to reduce body armor weight by 20-50% while maintaining or improving protection

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The Army has been working to develop the next-generation “soldier protection system,” which would equip troops with lighter body armor, along with upgraded equipment including health sensors and new protective eyewear. “The most immediate need for body armor right now is weight reduction,” said Lt. Col. Kathy Brown, product manager for soldier protective equipment for …

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