WASHINGTON — The U.S. needs to flex its space muscles in the face of China’s lunar ambitions, argues a new report from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies released Jan. 17.
More specifically, the U.S. military should step up collaboration with NASA and support the development of infrastructure for scientific and economic activities in cislunar space, “as well as the means to secure those activities from potential threats such as territorial claims and irresponsible or hostile behavior,” writes Charles Galbreath, senior fellow for space studies at the Mitchell Institute.
Cislunar space — the region of space between Earth and the orbit of the moon — is becoming increasingly important strategically and economically due to potential lunar exploration, space mining and other commercial efforts poised to ramp up in the coming years.
We can calculate the travel times for the SpaceX Starship to reach Mars. It is relatively easy to get 90 day trips each way with SpaceX Starship. This is faster than the usual 180–270 one-way travel times. This can be faster because we will have a lot more fuel to enable more direct routes to Mars. We could catch up Mars in 1/6th of an orbit instead of half of an orbit around the Sun.
There are ways to use extra expandable Starship tankers that fly with the main Starship and then transfer the extra fuel for deceleration from higher speed.
If there is more things built and working in orbit around the Earth, then this can be used to enable more ways to save fuel for faster or bigger missions. This can be done with reusable tugs to move a fully fueled Mars bound ship to higher orbits or even to escape velocity.
We are already living in the era of the fourth industrial revolution, but in the near future we will be facing another one that could really change everything. We are talking about the revolution of humanoid robots — versatile, intelligent and dexterous machines that can not only help, but also replace humans in tight places. In this video, we’ll tell you about the top 10 newest and most advanced humanoid robots in the world, and what technologies will make them truly versatile! Onward to a brighter future)
0:00 A breakthrough in humanoid robots. 1:17 What technologies could make robots as dexterous as humans? 3:46 Digit, the first commercial humanoid robot from Agility Robotics. 5:18 New humanoid robot from Singapore. 6:45 What kind of humanoid robot has OpenAI invested in? 7:34 New Apollo robot from Apptronik. 9:00 CyberOne humanoid robot project from Xiaomi. 10:20 Unitree’s H1 robot. 11:07 XPENG’s agile and stable robot PX5 12:05 Sanctuary AI’s most agile robot Phoenix. 13:13 The world’s most advanced humanoid robot by Figure AI 15:18 Tesla Bot: Ilon Musk’s Humanoid Robot. 16:15 The world’s most advanced humanoid robot from Boston Dynamics.
Boston Dynamics Atlas. If you’ve been following robotics, you’ve likely seen this humanoid robot in action. Atlas is a pinnacle of robotic achievement, showcasing impressive mobility and coordination. Its advanced control system allows it to perform backflips, handstands, and navigate complex environments with ease. Atlas is not just a demonstration of technological prowess; it’s a glimpse into the future of robotics assisting in real-world scenarios.
Moving on to the Valkyrie robot from NASA. Initially designed for space exploration, Valkyrie boasts a humanoid form with an emphasis on strength and adaptability. Its design includes 44 degrees of freedom, making it highly flexible and capable of mimicking human movements. While initially intended for space missions, Valkyrie’s applications extend to disaster response and exploration of challenging terrains.
Now, let’s talk about the Tesla Bot. Yes, you heard it right, Tesla is venturing into humanoid robotics. Elon Musk unveiled the Tesla Bot with a vision to eliminate dangerous, repetitive, and boring tasks performed by humans. While specific details are still emerging, the idea is to create a humanoid robot using Tesla’s expertise in electric vehicles and AI. The Tesla Bot aims to be a general-purpose, capable machine for a variety of everyday tasks.
The colossal rocket from Elon Musk’s space company which aims to take humans to Mars and beyond, soared to the edge of space in its second integrated test flight in mid-November.
However, the historic flight had its challenges. The Starship and the Super Heavy booster exploded in mid-air shortly after the stage separation, creating spectacular fireballs that lit up the sky. The cause of the mishaps was unclear, and many speculated that the flight termination system, a safety mechanism that destroys the rocket if it deviates from the planned trajectory, was triggered.
Two months later, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk finally shed some light on what happened during a company update presentation at Starbase, the launch site and production facility for Starship. He revealed that the world’s heaviest rocket was too light to reach orbit.
After Artemis 2 launches and before the crew sets course for the Moon, the crew will spend a day or so carrying out systems checks in Earth orbit. During this stage, the crew will also test their ability to rendezvous with the SLS’s Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, which will serve as valuable practice for future docking maneuvers needed in later Artemis missions. The spacecraft’s orbit around Earth will be highly elliptical, ranging in altitude from about 115 miles (185 kilometers) to 46,000 miles (74,000 km) above Earth’s surface.
Once they receive approval to set course for the Moon, the four members of the Artemis 2 crew will embark on humanity’s first trip to the Moon’s neighborhood since 1972.
Artemis 2 will not land on or orbit the Moon, but will instead use several lunar-destination burns and course corrections to achieve a so-called free-return trajectory. This approach will bring the craft to within about 6,400 miles (10,000 km) of the Moon’s farside — and allow it to return to Earth even if the craft experiences an engine failure. The free-return trajectory will form a figure-eight around Earth and the Moon, and the Artemis 2 mission is expected to last about 10 days.