DARPA XS-1 Spaceplane Program to Ease Access to Space

DARPA has announced Phase 2 of the XS-1 program, which seeks to design and fabricate an experimental unmanned spaceplane using state-of-the-art technologies and streamlined processes, and fly the vehicle ten times in ten days. The reusable XS-1 would demonstrate the potential for low-cost and “aircraft-like” high-ops-tempo space flight, enabling a host of critical national security …

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SpaceX hopes to make history again on Jan. 17 with a rocket landing on its drone ship

SpaceX hopes to make history again on Jan. 17 by landing a Falcon 9 rocket on a drone ship at sea after launching a payload into orbit. SpaceX confirmed to NBC News that it would be making the attempt; the news was earlier reported by space journalist Charles Lurio on Twitter. SpaceX will try to …

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China has large solar powered helium spy airship and satellites for tracking aircraft carriers

Earlier this month, China tested a new helium-filled airship that will soar to great height to offer the government new and broad surveillance capabilities. Called Yuanmeng​, ​the ship is expected to be able to stay aloft for up to 48 hours. The airship works via a combination of lighter-than-air gases and electricity. Helium lifts the …

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US Military months from testing a Non-lethal sonic weapon that is reminiscent of Star Wars

The Laser-Induced Plasma Effect, or LIPE, is a weapon that the U.S. military hopes to begin testing in coming months. LIPE’s lasers fire extremely short bursts (around a nanosecond, or a billionth of a second) of directed high energy at a target. That target could be on a person, a windshield, or merely a single …

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DARPA 2016 Includes 150 kilowatt laser live fire tests

DARPA has its 2016 budget. High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS) HELLADS program had funding of 26.6 million in 2014 and 14.1 million in 2015. Description: The goal of the HELLADS program is to develop a high-energy laser weapon system that will provide an order of magnitude reduction in weight compared to existing …

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Environmental Nano Solutions proposes large electrostatic ion air cleaners for China’s Smog

Daan Roosegaarde’s positive–ionization “vacuum cleaner” uses high-voltage, low-amp electricity to create an electrostatic field. Particles flowing across the field—enclosed in a box—become positively charged and attach themselves to a grounded electrode, which need to be scraped clean periodically. (Roosegaarde plans to turn the stuff into “diamond” rings, with a cubic-centimeter stone representing a cubic kilometer …

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Princeton Nanotechnology could make immunoassays 3 million times more sensitive for early cancer and Alzheimer’s disease detection

A laboratory test used to detect disease and perform biological research could be made more than 3 million times more sensitive, according to researchers who combined standard biological tools with a breakthrough in nanotechnology. The increased performance could greatly improve the early detection of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and other disorders by allowing doctors to detect …

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Regenerative Medicine : Hands, Bladders, Ears, Bones, Trachea, Muscle, Organs,

April 2008, Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM) gave $42.5 million over five years to Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Wake Forest and its partners are adding $150 million for nearly $200 million. A second consortium with another $42.5 million will be managed by Rutgers and the Cleveland Clinic.Nature discusses the full soldier …

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