Lifeboat Foundation

The award brings NASA a step closer to the first robotic round trip to bring samples safely to Earth through the Mars Sample Return Program.

NASA has awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin Space of Littleton, Colorado, to build the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), a small, lightweight rocket to launch rock, sediment, and atmospheric samples from the surface of the Red Planet. The award brings NASA a step closer to the first robotic round trip to bring samples safely to Earth through the Mars Sample Return Program.

“This groundbreaking endeavor is destined to inspire the world when the first robotic round-trip mission retrieves a sample from another planet – a significant step that will ultimately help send the first astronauts to Mars,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. “America’s investment in our Mars Sample Return program will fulfill a top priority planetary science goal and demonstrate our commitment to global partnerships, ensuring NASA remains a leader in exploration and discovery.”

And it doubles up as a backup energy unit and a camper.

Norwegian tech startup Fresco Motors just revealed its new Fresco XL, an electric vehicle (EV) that it claims will have a range of 620 miles (1,000 km). If the claim is true, it would make it the longest-range EV in the world.

Continue reading “It’s Official. Lucid Air Is the Longest-Range EV Ever” »

Circa 2018 😀

Fully enclosed, controlled-environment growth chambers can accelerate plant development. Such ‘speed breeding’ reduces generation times to accelerate crop breeding and research programmes, and can integrate with other modern crop breeding technologies.

Circa 2021 😀

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Most picking jobs will be done by bots | Science & technology.

There have been almost no capabilities of processing graphite outside of China to date, but this new Michigan factory will change that.