Aerospace
“Pulverize It”: The plan to slice and dice space rocks
To prevent asteroid impacts, UCSB physicists suggest we slice up the space rocks using arrays of “penetrator rods.”
Air Force gunship will be equipped with anti-drone lasers
Two U.S. military branches are building compact, portable laser guns — taking us closer to laser warfare.
William Shatner has boldly gone to space with Blue Origin
Star Trek actor William Shatner has gone to space as a passenger aboard Blue Origin’s second crewed flight — making him the oldest astronaut.
Science fiction doesn’t predict the future. It inspires it.
Jeff Bezos’ love of Star Trek inspired him to go to space. Here are a few other innovators to draw inspiration from science fiction.
Spacecraft tech turns moon dust into “near-instant” landing pads
To protect spacecraft from moon dust, Masten Space Systems is developing a tech that quickly creates landing pads on the surface of the moon.
Europe backs “space factory” set for 2022 launch
UK startup Space Forge is developing a space factory designed to make “microgravity on demand” a reality for researchers and manufacturers.
Astronaut to break NASA’s record for longest time in space
Astronaut Mark Vande Hei is poised to set a new NASA record for longest time in space, spending about 353 days aboard the ISS.
Mars colonies could be built from astronauts’ blood and urine
To minimize the cost of building Mars colonies, astronauts could make concrete using space dust and their own bodily fluids.
All-civilian Inspiration4 mission is ready for launch (Updated)
When Inspiration4 launches on September 15, it'll mark a new era in space tourism as the first all-civilian mission to space.
Perseverance rover collects first Mars rock sample — for real
NASA’s Perseverance rover has collected its first Mars rock sample, which the agency plans to send to Earth in 2031.