Two nuclear projects are among eleven international space projects selected to receive funding from the U.K. Space Agency. Rolls-Royce's collaboration with BWXT receives one and a half million dollars to further its work on fission nuclear systems for space power missions. An international project led by the University of Leicester receives a million dollars.
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Chinese scientists are developing a giant electromagnetic rail gun to launch hypersonic planes into space. The space plane would be larger than a Boeing 747, and the tech could help reduce launch costs.
Earth’s orbit is getting so populated that the space industry is now developing technologies to remove space debris left by satellite launches from an over-crowded low Earth orbit (LEO).
There is an untapped orbit above Earth, though. The very low Earth orbit (VLEO) would allow satellites to fly in a less crowded space closer to home and take more detailed pictures of our planet.
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There are other ways to create antimatter. That's where Ryan Weed focused his work. Weed's design involves positrons, the antimatter version of an electron.
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Interstellar travel is only something humanity has achieved in science fiction such as Star Trek's USS Enterprise, which used antimatter engines to travel between star systems. However, antimatter isn't just a sci-fi trope. Antimatter actually does exist.
After setting foot on the Moon in 1969, the next destination for humankind is obviously Mars. Traveling to Mars presents a whole new set of challenges in speedy, long-distance space travel.
Tiny gram-scale interstellar probes pushed by laser light are probably the only technology capable of reaching another star in this century. A laser beamer powerful enough (~100-GW) to boost a few grams to relativistic speed will probably be available by 2050 as well as laser sails robust enough to survive launch, and terrestrial light buckets (~1-sq.km) big enough to catch the optical signals.
The use of non-model organisms in medical research is an expanding field. It has already made a significant impact on human health. Insights obtained from the study of unique mammalian traits are being used to develop novel therapeutic agents.
