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Hitting the Books: We won't colonize space without a Weyland-Yutani
Welcome to Hitting the Books. With less than one in five Americans reading just for fun these days, we've done the hard work for you by scouring the internet for the most interesting, thought provoking books on science and technology we can find and delivering an easily digestible nugget of their stories.
Elon Musk: 'The Simulation, The Simulation, The Simulation'
A young woman wanted to know how much she needed to beg to take a selfie with him. A young man wanted to know if he could get his CyberPunk 2077 hat autographed. These are the kind of questions people were asking Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, during a panel at E3 2019. Musk, who was joined by legendary video game designer Todd Howard (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Fallout 4), spent most of the conversation talking about how gaming has influenced his life, his vision for the industry and, of course, "The Simulation." Almost every response from him ignited cheers from the crowd at E3, who were the latest people to witness the Church of Elon Musk at a technology conference.
There's table salt on one of Jupiter's moons
The ocean that scientists believe exists underneath Europa's thick icy crust might be more like our own than previously thought. According to a new study published in Science Advances, a team of researchers used the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) instrument to scan Jupiter's moon in infrared light. The team found what's called the "spectral signature" of irradiated sodium chloride, also known as table salt.
MIT algorithm helps robots guess where humans are going next
Automation is increasingly a reality in the workforce, and that means robots working alongside humans. But there's a problem: robots are often lousy at predicting where humans are going, leading them to either freeze up or risk collisions with their fleshy counterparts. Thankfully, MIT researchers have developed an algorithm that better predicts the paths of nearby humans.
US weather forecast model gets a much-needed upgrade
Meterology revolves as much around good weather models as it does good weather data, and the core US model is about to receive a long-overdue refresh. NOAA has upgraded its Global Forecast System with a long-in-testing dynamical core, the Finite-Volume Cubed-Sphere (aka FV3). It's the first time the model has been replaced in roughly 40 years, and it promises higher-resolution forecasts, lower computational overhead and more realistic water vapor physics.
Watch SpaceX launch Earth observation satellites at 10:17AM ET
SpaceX is about to get your morning started in dramatic fashion (if you're in the Americas, that is). The private spaceflight outfit plans to launch Canada's RADARSAT Constellation Mission as soon as 10:17AM Eastern, with the satellites deploying in earnest 54 minutes after blastoff. The company is using the same Falcon 9 first stage that put the Crew Dragon demonstration mission into orbit back in March, and it expects to land the rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
NASA makes final plans for its 2022 mission to visit an all-metal asteroid
In less than a decade, we might finally be able to unravel the mysteries surrounding Psyche, an asteroid that's believed to be composed mostly of iron and nickel. NASA is gearing up to explore the metallic asteroid, giving the Psyche mission the go-ahead to enter its final design and fabrication phase. The means the Psyche team will now begin developing detailed plans for the spacecraft and its science missions, as well as completing the spacecraft's testing and assembly.
The Morning After: Tesla's electric trucks
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Electric trucks and robotic toy tanks. Plus everything from E3 (including a full breakdown of yesterday's Nintendo Direct). Just another Wednesday morning.
NASA advances lunar crater modeling and asteroid mining projects
NASA doesn't just want to return to the moon by 2024, it also wants to establish a "sustained human presence" and to use the moon as a hub for future Mars exploration. In order to do that, it will need new ideas and technologies, like those solicited and supported by the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. Today, NIAC moved two projects to Phase III, the furthest any concepts have made it.
NASA spacecraft will use fuel that's safer for humans
Many spacecraft depend on hydrazine in their fuel, but it's extremely hazardous -- and that means very careful fueling processes that slow things down. NASA will soon have a safer option, however. It's about to test-fly the Green Propellant Infusion Mission, a spacecraft that ditches hydrazine in favor of a namesake "green" mix of hydroxyl ammonium nitrate with an oxidizer that lets it burn. It's safe enough that you could fuel a spacecraft while you're still building it, speeding up the launch process.
Solar-powered LightSail spacecraft is ready for its second flight
When the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launches this summer, it will carry the Planetary Society's Carl Sagan-inspired LightSail 2. You may remember LightSail as a crowdfunded, experimental "solar sail." The unique craft looks something like a giant kite, and it was envisioned as a way to guide satellites around space using energy from the sun, rather than chemical fuel. The first LightSail took flight in 2015, and now the Planetary Society is ready to launch LightSail 2, which has worked out a few bugs and will provide an opportunity to further test solar sailing.
Europe's Space Agency opens its doors to commercial spaceflights
It's not only NASA that is embracing private space flight. The European Space Agency (ESA) is opening its own commercial space program, giving companies the option to take paid trips into orbit.
NASA opens the International Space Station to commercial ventures
The International Space Station (ISS) is open for business. NASA announced today that it plans to commercialize the ISS, so that "U.S. industry innovation and ingenuity can accelerate a thriving commercial economy in low-Earth orbit." According to a press release, NASA will open the space station to private astronauts, as well as commercial product development, testing and manufacturing.
Autonomous 'roboats' can assemble into floating structures
Autonomous boats might soon do a favor for people who have no intention of charting a course. Researchers at MIT and AMS Institute have developed a new version of their 'Roboat' that can identify and latch on to fellow robots to form different structures, whether it's a foot bridge, a garbage collector or a stage for a concert. The boats use cameras, lidar and computer vision algorithms to look for fellow bots with QR-like tags (to help determine their relative position), and then position themselves for docking on command. They also know to try again if there's a botched attempt.
China launches a rocket from a ship for the first time
China has joined the US and Russia as the only nations to have successfully launched a rocket at sea. The National Space Administration's Long March 11 took off from a launchpad on a ship in the Yellow Sea today. The rocket carried five commercial satellites (including two for a company that plans to set up a global network of internet satellites) and two research-focused experimental ones.
Nestle claims its plant-based Awesome Burger is healthier than rivals
Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are about to have some major competition. Nestle's Sweet Earth is prepping the Awesome Burger, another take on plant-based hamburgers. The veggie mix (which includes yellow peas and wheat) should have largely realistic juiciness and taste, but promises to be healthier in some respects than its rivals. It'll have six grams of fiber versus the three you typically find in Beyond and Impossible patties, for example. You can also expect more more protein than a meat burger (28g versus a typical 20g), no saturated fat and lots of iron and Vitamin C.
The best blended STEM kits for kids
For starters, the littleBits Base Inventor Kit is an awesome introduction to electronics for little kids! They can build and customize a voice-activated robotic arm and innovate from there or use the tools right out of the box and invent whatever they'd like. In addition to the robotic arm, the kit includes a power supply, slide dimmer, sound trigger, proximity sensor, LED, buzzer and other goodies The littleBits app has some good ideas, too, if your kids need some suggestions. The $100 Base Inventor kit is recommended for eight and up, but younger kids can enjoy it with adult guidance. READ ON: The best blended stem kits for kids
Simpler, air-powered soft robots could help with space exploration
Soft robots promise a kinder, gentler approach to automation, but they're frequently hamstrung by complexity, costs and the need for wires. Thankfully, Harvard researchers have found a way to simplify matters. They've developed a softrobot driven by pressurized air that doesn't need the multiple control systems that frequently guide these machines. A lone input pumps air to the robot's legs through tubes of different sizes, which determines how those legs behave. If you want the robot to crawl forward, you just have to send air through the right set of tubes.
Major science publisher bars Huawei from reviewing papers
The US' effective ban on Huawei might have serious consequences for the scientific community. One of the largest science publishers, IEEE, has banned Huawei scientists from reviewing papers so long as the trade restrictions are in place. There are "severe legal implications" from allowing the Chinese company's staff to look at technical research, IEEE told editors of its roughly 200 journals. Huawei can still serve on IEEE editorial boards.
Paul Allen's Stratolaunch is reportedly shutting down
Paul Allen's space company, Stratolaunch Systems Corporation, is reportedly closing down its operations. According to Reuters, the company is shutting up shop, but it's also exploring the possibility of selling its assets and intellectual property. A spokesperson neither confirmed nor denied the report, telling Engadget that "Stratolaunch remains operational" and that it "will provide an update when there is news to share."