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Archive for the ‘space travel’ category: Page 484

Feb 4, 2016

Astronauts and Arugula: Using Space-Station Technology to Grow Food — By Davina van Buren | Modern Farmer / smithsonian.com

Posted by in categories: human trajectories, science, space, space travel

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“Unlike other vertical farms that use market-ready technology, Romano developed Infinite Harvest’s proprietary building management system from the ground up, using his knowledge of space habitat design.

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Feb 2, 2016

Future | Almost Royal

Posted by in categories: space travel, transhumanism

I spoke on transhumanism for a few minutes in this BBC America show about the future that aired last night. Some of you can watch it if you have access to your cable/satellite providers.


Siblings Poppy and Georgie are on a mission to find out what the future holds for the human race, starting with a simulated trip to Mars. Next up they meet people who are hoping to survive the apocalypse before meeting a hopeful political candidate.

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Feb 2, 2016

NASA’s new light-based modem will transmit data up to 100 times faster than radio signals

Posted by in categories: internet, space travel

NASA is developing a first-if-its-kind modem that incorporates light-based technology to help enable dramatically faster communications between spacecraft and ground stations.

The device, which is scheduled to be tested on board the International Space Station in 2020, is part of a broader NASA project called the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD). This laser system, which the space agency says could dramatically overhaul today’s radio frequency (RF) communications, will enable data transmissions at rates 10 to 100 times faster than what’s currently possible.

It’s not the first time NASA has experimented with laser communications in place of radio signals. In 2013, the agency achieved record-breaking download and upload speeds to and from lunar orbit – at 622 megabits per second (Mbps) and 20 Mbps respectively – with its Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE).

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Feb 1, 2016

NASA’s New Space Shuttle Is a Work of Futuristic Art

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, business, materials, space travel

The lifting body vehicle will be launched on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket and will have the ability to return—along with cargo—by landing at any available airport. SNC’s Dream Chaser is made of non-toxic materials meaning it can touch down on commercial runways and be accessed immediately.

The chance to showcase a reusable spacecraft on government funded missions bodes well for a potential pivot to commercial use. SNC is at the leading edge of private space companies that one day might cater to a more diverse base of consumers like universities, medical companies and individuals.

To learn more about Dream Chaser’s history and development, we spoke to John Roth, Vice President of Business Development for SNC’s Space Systems.

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Jan 31, 2016

Elon Musk identifies electric aircraft, genetics and neuron scale brain computer interfaces as high potential technologies

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, computing, cyborgs, Elon Musk, genetics, neuroscience, space travel, sustainability

Elon Musk, CEO of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Tesla Motors, Inc, was at Startmeup Hong Kong and talked about what he thought were areas of technological opportunity.

At 37 minutes into this video Elon Musk talks about high potential technology like Hyperloop which he currently does not have time to address electric aircraftgenetics is thorny but is our best shot at many tough diseasesbrain computer interfaces at the neuron level has potential for intelligence augmentationNeural Lace was mentioned.

Scientists from China and the US have found a pioneering way to inject a tiny electronic mesh sensor into the brain that fully integrates with cerebral matter and enables computers to monitor brain activity.

Continue reading “Elon Musk identifies electric aircraft, genetics and neuron scale brain computer interfaces as high potential technologies” »

Jan 30, 2016

Elon Musk: SpaceX to make trip to Mars

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel, sustainability

In less than 9 yrs.


HONG KONG, Jan. 30 (UPI) — SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he plans to send humans to Mars by 2025.

Continue reading “Elon Musk: SpaceX to make trip to Mars” »

Jan 30, 2016

What will power tomorrow’s spacecraft?

Posted by in categories: energy, space travel

The missions that will last decades or longer will need a new generation of power sources, writes Peter Ray Allison.

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Jan 30, 2016

Go To The Moon In This Virtual Reality Experience

Posted by in categories: space travel, virtual reality

New VR project allows you to go to space right from your living room.


Thanks to a new virtual reality project, you can go to space from your own living room. http://voc.tv/14JQHoo

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Jan 29, 2016

Elon Musk Says SpaceX Will Send People to Mars

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel

Elon Musk wants to go to space within the next five years and thinks human beings can reach Mars by 2025.

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Jan 29, 2016

Biotechnology, synthetic biology keys to humans colonizing other planets

Posted by in categories: alien life, biotech/medical, food, genetics, particle physics, space travel, sustainability

Over the last 12,000 years or so, human civilization has noticeably reshaped the Earth’s surface. But changes on our own planet will likely pale in comparison when humans settle on other celestial bodies. While many of the changes on Earth over the centuries have been related to food production, by way of agriculture, changes on other worlds will result, not only from the need for on-site production of food, but also for all other consumables, including air.

As vital as synthetic biology will be to the early piloted missions to Mars and voyages of exploration, it will become indispensable to establish a long-term human presence off-Earth, namely colonization. That’s because we’ve evolved over billions of years to thrive specifically in the environments provides by our home planet.

Our physiology is well-suited to Earth’s gravity and its oxygen-rich atmosphere. We also depend on Earth’s magnetic field to shield us from intense space radiation in the form of charged particles. In comparison, Mars currently has no magnetic field to trap particle radiation and an atmosphere that is so thin that any shielding against other types of space radiation is negligible compared with the protection that Earth’s atmosphere affords. At the Martian surface, atmospheric pressure never gets above 7 millibars. That’s like Earth at an altitude of about 27,000 m (89,000 ft), which is almost the edge of space. And it’s not like the moon is a better option for us since it has no atmosphere at all.

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