With martian movies smashing the box office and NASA’s recent announcement to put permanent residents on Mars the big news, space colonization seems like all the rage right now! Following the trend, Exo Planet is a narrative that tells a story that tells of out-of-this-world concepts ranging from base stations to astronaut suits and even vehicles. Beyond that, Exo Planet goes on to detail a mission for a crew of 8 to execute interplanetary travel, architecture using 3D printing, and systems for renewable energy.
Designer: Eduardo Galvani
The latest from space travel-enthusiast Oscar Viñals, the M2G White Bat combines space tourism with scientific exploration to expand the functionality of each trip. While primarily focused on the passenger’s space experience, the craft would be capable of delivering a number of commercial satellites or drones as supplementary support. In addition, an independently operated capsule with a single passenger could be deployed upon reentry in order to train and prepare astronauts for return missions.
Designer: Oscar Viñals
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The design of this birdhouse is inspired by the infamous Death Star from Star Wars. It looks just like the evil empire’s battle station, only it’s a much smaller version of it. It doesn’t have the power to nuke planets from a distance, but it will provide a relatively comfortable home for birds who are seeking shelter.
The Death Star birdhouse is made from high-quality ceramic and it comes with one wire hanger so you can put it up wherever you want to, right out of the box. The diameter of the birdhouse measures 13.5 centimeters, which makes it just about right for the birds that might be visiting and frolicking around your garden.
The Death Star birdhouse retails for £24.99 (or about $40) and is available online from the Fowndry.
[ Product Page ] VIA [ InStash ]
A honeymoon on the moon? That might sound absurd now, but it might become a reality sometime in 2020 if start-up Golden Spike manages to kick off their service and get everything up and running by then. They’re promising to give interested space travelers the chance to fly out to the moon and spend 36 hours doing God knows what with their space travel buddies.
As part of the package, each passenger gets to go on two moon walks and use a standard surface expedition tool kit and cameras and basically do what astronauts do when they’re on the moon. It sounds like an outrageous offering, and as expected, it’s also one that only the rich can afford since the 36-hour trip is priced at $800 million.
Check out Golden Spike’s promotional video and one of their proposed flight schedules after the break.
VIA [ Geekologie ]
We're trying, with all our might, to avoid mention of final frontiers. Really we are. But, NASA's Voyager 1 is at the last point before crossing one. Currently the spacecraft is passing through what scientists are calling a "magnetic highway." This region is where the sun's magnetic field lines connect out to interstellar ones, which allows charged particles from our heliosphere (a surrounding cloud of charged particles encasing the sun) to pass out, while higher-energy particles from outside stream in. This area is still considered inside our solar bubble -- due to the lack of change in the direction of magnetic field lines -- but thanks to the ingress of external particles, it does give NASA a taste of conditions in deeper areas of the galaxy. Likewise, the agency believes this is the final... stage before reaching interstellar space, which it's estimated Voyager 1 will encounter in anything from a few months, to a couple of years' time.
Source: NASA
It's hard to deny the appeal of a space-bound robot like NASA's Robonaut 2, fears of subversion notwithstanding. The space agency and Florida's Institute for Human and Machine Cognition know it, and they want to put that technology into an exoskeleton with a nobler purpose than performing chores on space stations. The in-development X1 (not yet pictured) adapts the Robonaut's skills to a body-hugging frame with 10 points of movement that might give humans an assist when they need it the most. In space, the X1 could automate and add challenge to exercise for astronauts in low gravity, or provide the extra muscle for that fabled day we return to manned surface exploration. NASA envisions its exoskeleton having more grounded uses as well, such as rehabilitation for leg injuries or walking for those who never had the chance. Although we're not expecting a rapid turnaround knowing NASA's lengthy schedules, we might see the X1 in use sooner than most such products in the wake of a purposefully quick development cycle -- and, no doubt, a few interested customers here on Earth.
Filed under: Robots, Wearables, Science
NASA and IHMC building X1 exoskeleton to give us a lift, keep us fit in space and on Earth originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 01:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you thought that year out around Europe was an eye opener, how about 12 months on the International Space Station? That's what's in store for two unnamed astronauts. Currently, the maximum stay on the ISS is six months, but in 2015, one Russian, and one American will work their way through the whole calendar, in a trip that could help pave the way for deep space travel. Plenty of data has already been collected about the effect microgravity has on the body, but less is known of the longer-term implications. NASA is already considering sending manned expeditions to near-Earth asteroids and Mars in the coming decades -- but the results from this excursion could prove invaluable. The names of the chosen two haven't been revealed, and the Soyuz capsule's (currently unaccounted for) third-seat has also sparked talk of another person possibly coming along for the ride. Time to re-plan that gap year?
Filed under: Misc, Science, Alt
US and Russian space agencies to launch first year-long mission on the ISS originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Oct 2012 06:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Space Shuttles Discovery, Endeavour and Enterprise have all left Kennedy Space Center for new homes, but Atlantis? She's staying. Come November 2nd, the orbiter will be wheeled out to a 65,000-square-foot exhibit, which is still being constructed at KSC's visitor complex. Though the craft's cargo bay doors will be open and its remote manipulator arm extended when its displayed, visitors won't be able to climb aboard it -- or any of the other shuttles, for that matter. However, we got the chance to visit Bay 2 of the Orbiter Processing Facility, step inside Atlantis and give it the hands-on treatment. Look out below for the gallery or hit the jump for the full video tour.
Continue reading Space Shuttle Atlantis hands-on: a look inside (video)
Filed under: Transportation, Science
Space Shuttle Atlantis hands-on: a look inside (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Oct 2012 14:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Yes, seriously. NASA announced on Wednesday that its Curiosity rover had "checked in" on Mars via Foursquare. Marking the first check in from another world, the robotic rover will utilize the location-minded social network to share updates and pictures while visiting the Red Planet. While Curiosity will continue to explore the possibilities of Mars being able to sustain life, it would appear that the fourth planet from the sun just got a brand new mayor. Something tells us the universe's rarest badge is about to be bestowed.
Continue reading NASA's Curiosity rover checks in on Foursquare, gives Mars its first mayor
Filed under: Science
NASA's Curiosity rover checks in on Foursquare, gives Mars its first mayor originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 19:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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