Future Car Technologies – Alternative Fuel Vehicles
An alternative fuel vehicle is a vehicle that runs on an energy source other than conventional petroleum fuels (petrol or diesel). Due to a combination of factors, such as environmental concerns, high oil prices and the potential for peak oil, the development of alternative energy sources for vehicles will increase in the future. This article will list all the major currently existing alternative energy vehicle technologies.
Non-Rocket Spacelaunch – Tether propulsion
Tether propulsion consists in using long, very strong cables (known as tethers) to change the velocity of spacecraft and payloads. The tethers may be used to initiate launch, complete launch, or alter the orbit of a spacecraft. This form of propulsion would be significantly less expensive than spaceflight using modern rocket engines.
Future Car Technologies
New cars are being developed in order to make them more sustainable, safer, more energy efficient, and less polluting. These won't exactly be the cars we've seen in science-fiction movies, but they should be a big improvement over what we have today.
Non-Rocket Spacelaunch – Space Elevators in Fiction
This is the fourth and final part of the space elevator article of the non-rocket spacelaunch methods article series. This post will focus on references to the space elevator concept in fiction. The first mention of anything remotely similar to a space elevator was the beanstalk in the children's fairy tale called Jack and the Beanstalk, published in 1807.
Non-Rocket Spacelaunch – Extraterrestrial Space Elevator Concepts
Space elevators, a futuristic concept, could be adapted for various celestial bodies: Mars, the Moon, and even asteroids, they promise a revolution in space access.
Non-Rocket Spacelaunch – Space Elevator Safety Issues
The space elevator is a gigantic concept and as such it has many safety issues that would have to be resolved before construction begins. A space elevator would present a navigational hazard, both to aircraft and spacecraft.
Non-Rocket Spacelaunch – Space Elevator
Why non-rocket spacelaunch? Because the current chemical rockets are really expensive. In order to further explore outer space and establish a permanent human presence in space we need more cost efficient spacelaunch methods.
Blog updates, TV & eclipse photography
I'm now officially done with all that college work. The semester is finally over! :) Therefore I will be able to write more regularly. I will bring back all the weekly series that I couldn't keep up with during the end of semester exam period. So now, other than the "Weekly Stargazing Calendar", there will also be the "Astronomy Picture of the Week" and the "Follow Friday & Weekly Stumbles" series and possibly more.
An Artist’s Vision of a Future Colony on the Moon
Some time ago, I posted an image of the Copernicus Crater for the Astronomy Picture of the Week. Now I stumbled upon an amazing painting by Marshal T. Savage depicting his vision of a future colony on the Moon. It’s the same Copernicus Crater, except it’s domed over and terraformed to create an ecosphere. At first I thought that this was really cool, but it would be impossible to build such a gigantic structure. (The crater has a diameter of 93 kilometers!) However after giving it some thought I changed my mind. If it was built with a material strong enough like carbon nanotubes, it could in theory be built. While…
Astronomy Picture of the Week – The Copernicus Crater
Copernicus is one of the largest lunar impact craters on the visible hemisphere of the Moon. It was named after the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. The crater is estimated to have formed about 800 million years ago during the Copernican period of lunar history, which was named after the crater. Copernicus is visible using binoculars, and is located slightly northwest of the center of the nearside, in eastern Oceanus Procellarum. The crater has a diameter of 93 kilometers and a maximum depth of 3.8 kilometers. Copernicus also has a dozen satellite craters ranging between 3 and 7 kilometers in diameter. By convention they share the name of the main crater…
Inflatable Space Stations
NASA is considering the use of inflatable modules for the International Space Station (ISS). This idea has been proposed as early as in the 1960s, but it has never been put to use in space until Bigelow Aerospace took over the idea and developed two working prototypes and tested them in space.
Dark Asteroids Discovered, Possible Threat to Earth
Dark asteroids near Earth, hard to spot but potential threats. WISE infrared telescope helps detect them. What's the risk of asteroid impact?