Space Initiatives will receive a NAIC grant for interstellar exploration. Tiny gram-scale interstellar probes propelled by laser light are probably the only technology capable of reaching another star during this century.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is charting an ambitious course for the future. It is aiming to solidify Europe's position in space exploration through the “Explore 2040” initiative.
The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program nurtures visionary ideas that could transform future NASA missions with the creation of radically better or entirely new aerospace concepts. NIAC funded projects study innovative, technically credible, advanced concepts that could one day “Change the Possible” in aerospace. Here is a NAIC Phase I project proposed by Lynn Rothschild at the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC).
Physical infrastructure on the Moon will be critical to any long-term human presence there as both America and China are gearing up for a sustained human lunar presence. A self-deploying tower is one of the most essential parts of that physical infrastructure. These towers can hold numerous pieces of equipment, from solar panels to communications arrays.
A student team at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs looked at the use case of a space elevator on Ceres. They found that it could be done with existing technology. The findings of the team are published in the journal 2024 Regional Student Conferences.
Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
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Scientists are using biological matter to create unique new materials that are able to adapt to their environment and repair themselves. The idea of living materials has been a staple of science fiction for decades. It is in the process of becoming real in the near future.
Increased interest and investment in space exploration are driving efforts to develop the technologies needed to make the moon a viable home for humans. Developing lunar infrastructure requires building materials which would be costly and inefficient to launch from Earth. This has led to research into the in-situ processing and use of raw materials naturally found on the Moon's surface.
Researchers have designed a state-of-the-art walking robot called E-Walker to take on the difficult task of space construction. A robot prototype has already been tested on Earth by assembling a twenty-five-meter Large Aperture Space Telescope. The telescope would usually be built in space.
Science fiction authors have dreamed for decades of terraforming Mars for human habitation. Previous studies have suggested that it would take enormous effort and centuries to accomplish this. New studies suggest that just a few specks of particles added to Mars’s atmosphere would heat it by over fifty degrees Fahrenheit in months. This would potentially make it hospitable for liquid water.
