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Aug 31, 2019

Facebook Removes “Storm Area 51” Event

Posted by in categories: alien life, military

The two million event goers won’t be able to Naruto-run past this.


Facebook has removed a mega-viral event called “Storm Area 51,” claiming it violated community standards. Before it was removed, the tongue-in-cheek event amassed more than 2 million Facebook users, grabbing the attention of the mainstream media.

The idea, according to the even description, was to invite an army of memelords and alien enthusisasts to raid the top-secret Air Force military base in the middle of Nevada’s desert. “Let’s see them aliens,” the event description read.

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Aug 31, 2019

NASA Considers Robotic Lunar Pit Mission; Moon’s Subsurface Key To Exploration

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, space, sustainability

The Moon’s subsurface is the key to its longterm development and sustainability, says NASA scientist.


A view of the Apollo 11 lunar module “Eagle” as it returned from the surface of the moon to dock with the command module “Columbia”. A smooth mare area is visible on the Moon below and a half-illuminated Earth hangs over the horizon. Command module pilot Michael Collins took this picture.

Aug 31, 2019

Entanglement sent over 50 km of optical fiber

Posted by in categories: internet, particle physics, quantum physics

The quantum internet promises absolutely tap-proof communication and powerful distributed sensor networks for new science and technology. However, because quantum information cannot be copied, it is not possible to send this information over a classical network. Quantum information must be transmitted by quantum particles, and special interfaces are required for this. The Innsbruck-based experimental physicist Ben Lanyon, who was awarded the Austrian START Prize in 2015 for his research, is investigating these important intersections of a future quantum Internet.

Now his team at the Department of Experimental Physics at the University of Innsbruck and at the Institute of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information of the Austrian Academy of Sciences has achieved a record for the transfer of quantum entanglement between matter and light. For the first time, a distance of 50 kilometers was covered using fiber optic cables. “This is two orders of magnitude further than was previously possible and is a practical distance to start building inter-city quantum networks,” says Ben Lanyon.

Aug 31, 2019

Five companies building the tools and tech for humans to thrive off-planet

Posted by in categories: food, space travel, sustainability

This year marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most pivotal moments in human history. Stepping onto the moon, Neil Armstrong in 1969 uttered those now infamous words: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

The next fifty years did not see space travel become routine, with many coming to believe that NASA is just too slow. But space-related research and innovation are enjoying a new revival, inspired by SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and other private firms that are making commercial space travel a reality. Along with rockets, hundreds of companies across the world are working feverishly toward developing infrastructure for space tourism, novel methods of growing food off-Earth, and sustainable building materials, to name only a few. All this with a tantalizing goal: to open up other planets and extraterrestrial bodies for exploration — and perhaps even residence — by everyone, not just astronauts.

Such work has not only moved us closer to our goal of one day living and playing off-Earth, but has also benefited our lives right here, right now. Scratch-proof glass, some biopharmaceuticals, and GPS navigation all derive from space-based research. The innovation happening today is incredibly exciting, and the future possibilities are seemingly endless. Here are five companies working on technologies that can help us thrive both on- and off-Earth.

Aug 31, 2019

Seeking innovative ideas for exploring lunar caves

Posted by in categories: mapping, satellites

Caves on the #Moon? This is a 100 m deep pit in the Sea of Tranquility, potentially an entrance to a tunnel system. We’re seeking innovative ideas for how to explore #lunar caves, via the Open Space Innovation Platform 👉 http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Preparing_for_the_Future/D…unar_caves (📷 NASA/GSFC/Ariz. State Univ.)


How would you design a system to detect, map and explore caves on the Moon? Our latest hunt for ideas is seeking novel initiatives that address this question.

While the surface of the Moon has been well-documented with cameras on board several satellite missions, relatively little is known about the presence and nature of subsurface cavities. In volcanic areas of the lunar maria, planetary geologists have identified pits that could be related to the collapse of cavities such as lava tubes – where lava once flowed under the lunar surface.

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Aug 31, 2019

Robot pilot that can grab the flight controls gets its plane licence

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, transportation

By David Hambling

A robot pilot is learning to fly. It has passed its pilot’s test and flown its first plane, but it has also had its first mishap too.

Unlike a traditional autopilot, the ROBOpilot Unmanned Aircraft Conversion System literally takes the controls, pressing on foot pedals and handling the yoke using robotic arms. It reads the dials and meters with a computer vision system.

Aug 30, 2019

Watch a Self-Driving Car Deftly Zoom Through a Heavy Rainstorm

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, transportation

The video uploaded by Logan LeGrand today shows a modified 2019 Toyota Corolla hatchback easily maintaining its 40 mph speed throughout a heavy downpour.

Aug 30, 2019

Tesla’s unveiling of a pickup truck is right around the corner

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, transportation

CEO Elon Musk said the electric pickup truck will rival both the Porsche 911 sports car and the standard bearer Ford F-150 pickup.

Aug 30, 2019

Robotic thread is designed to slip through the brain’s blood vessels

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, robotics/AI

Magnetically controlled device could deliver clot-reducing therapies in response to stroke or other brain blockages.

Aug 30, 2019

The First Female Space Tourist on What We Can Do in Orbit

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, space

Anousheh Ansari, the chief executive of the XPrize Foundation, says that storing data and growing human organs would be easier off Earth—but moon vacations are a ways off.