Lifeboat News: The Blog – Page 11947

Mars Curiosity Engineer Rips NASA In New Book

Posted by Bruce Dorminey in policy, space travel

Dec 31
2015

New book by NASA JPL Curiosity Rover engineer has some hard truths about U.S. space policy. A good read.

A Mars Curiosity rover team lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) writes in a forthcoming first-person narrative that the space agency as a whole “doesn’t do enough flight projects to forge a broad set of practical skills across [NASA].”

Adam Steltzner — a JPL engineer who was a familiar face during the entry, descent and landing (EDL) phase of the Mars Curiosity rover’s triumphant August 2012 landing — is refreshingly candid about U.S. space policy in the new book “The Right Kind of Crazy: A True Story of Teamwork, Leadership, and High-Stakes Innovation.”

“One of the problems with space exploration is that we never have enough iterations to allow us to fully learn from our mistakes,” writes Steltzner, officially, the phase lead and development manager for the Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity).

Continue reading “Mars Curiosity Engineer Rips NASA In New Book” | >

www.animatedimages.org

Posted by Shailesh Prasad in futurism

Dec 31
2015

Interesting Futurism Animation 10

Posted by Shailesh Prasad in futurism

Dec 31
2015

The 2015 Round Up: Our Biggest Longevity Stories This Year

Posted by Roy in life extension

Dec 31
2015

Just joined us? We break down 2015’s top aging and longevity stories.

Lunar Leap: Europe Is Reaching for a Moon Base by the 2030s — By Leonard David | Space.com

Posted by Odette Bohr Dienel in space, space travel, strategy

Dec 31
2015

“There is growing interest in Europe to prioritize the moon as humanity’s next deep-space destination.”

Computer-on-Modules Enable First Bionic Leg with No Surgery or Implants

Posted by Shailesh Prasad in biotech/medical, computing, cyborgs, electronics, transhumanism

Dec 30
2015

Small Form Factor Technology Solves Complexities of Thought-Controlled Leg Prosthetics

Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago has developed the first neural-controlled bionic leg, using no nerve redirection surgery or implanted sensors. It’s a powerful advancement in prosthetics, including motorized knee and ankle, and control enabled by the patient’s own neural signals. Powered by a tiny but powerful Computer-on-Module platform, this thought-controlled prosthetic represents a significant breakthrough in medical embedded design, improving patients’ lives and mobility with a prosthetic that more closely than ever acts like a fully-functioning natural limb.

The technology of prosthetic limbs has come a long way over time, yet options are still limited for leg amputees. While simple peg legs have evolved to more sophisticated and realistic artificial limbs, the patient was forced to undergo nerve surgery or endure invasive implants. And even though the technology to produce through-controlled mechanized arms has existed for some time, the complexities of leg motion have kept it from being successfully applied in leg prosthetics. Without the ability to move and control the knee and ankle, the prosthetic leg remained a passive solution for patients struggling to replicate natural leg motion.