The typical analysis of the nuclear Orion external pulse propulsion rocket is to use constant charges (bombs) every 1.1 seconds to launch with people inside who experience 4Gs or less. Nuclear Orion can achieve launch costs of less than $1/kg and perhaps a tiny fraction of that. This is 1000 to 20,000 times cheaper than …
The therapy aims to stop HIV re-producing A one-time gene therapy that puts an anti- HIV RNA weapon into blood cells is safe and, in higher doses and stronger form, could make the body resist the AIDS virus, a clinical trial suggests. This “major advance in the field” is the largest clinical trial ever to …
Nano imprinting with Bulk Metallic Glass enables to directly replicate smallest features with high aspect ratio. Our current record is 13 nm and 50 for feature diamater and aspect ratio, respectively. MIT Technology Review reports that researchers at Yale University have demonstrated that these nanoimprint molds can be created from more durable materials. This advance …
1. Super carbon nanotube batteries MIT Technology Review reports researchers at MIT have made pure, dense, thin films of carbon nanotubes that show promise as electrodes for higher-capacity batteries and supercapacitors. Dispensing with the additives previously used to hold such films together improved their electrical properties, including the ability to carry and store a large …
Caption: A scanning electron micrograph, taken with an electron microscope, shows the comb-like structure of a metal plate at the center of newly published University of Florida research on quantum physics. UF physicists found that corrugating the plate reduced the Casimir force, a quantum force that draws together very close objects. The discovery could prove …
Carnival of Space 46 is up at riding with robots My contribution was the premature report of room temperature superconductors. There is a new class of superconductors made under high pressure which could lead to room temperature superconductors. Centauri Dreams talks about David Brin’s speculation on eleven reasons for no contact with aliens (fermi paradox) …
Another summary of the benefits of Thorium nuclear reactors. This from the Uranium information center in Australia Some of the listed benefits:– Thorium is much more abundant in nature than uranium. – Thorium can also be used as a nuclear fuel through breeding to uranium-233 (U-233). – When this thorium fuel cycle is used, much …