aerospace
”XCOR Lynx Bringing Sports Car-esque Travel to Space
A two-seater spaceship smaller than a private jet that will take people up for a 25-minute space flight, is being launched in Mojave today. According to the Lynx Mark 1's makers, Xcor Aerospace, the spacecraft is expected to be at the test-flight stage by 2010. The two-seater craft has room for one passenger besides the pilot and will be, I guess, one way for a wealthy passenger to discover just how lonely it is 38 miles above the earth. More info, plus an animated video, below.
More »Japan's Kizuna Satellite to Beam Souped Up Internet Connection Back Home
Japan is launching the Kizuna satellite, which will bring high-speed internet access to Japan's remote territories and neighboring countries, as well as providing continuous networking in case of emergency. The $342 million project, spearheaded by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is expected to culminate in internet connections reaching speeds of 1.2Gbps, dwarfing current ADSL connections that typically allow data transfer to occur at below 8 Mbps. Users will need to install an antenna to be able to receive a signal, but for those speeds, I'd be willing to trade in a pound of my very own flesh.
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NASA Drops $19 Million on Toilet, Doesn't Let Russians Use It
Tension is bound to flare over the $19 million toilet NASA purchased from Russian aerospace firm RCS Energia, as only half of the International Space Station will enjoy the upgrade—the American side. The toilet justifies its steep price by being able to recycle urine as drinkable water, Waterworld-style.
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gadgets
New Rocket Engine to Get Us to Mars with 20% Greater Efficiency
That's a picture of XCOR Aerospace's new liquid methane and liquid oxygen powered engine, a prototype of what could be launching future rockets to the Moon and Mars. The private space firm created the engine, which is about 20% more efficient than traditional hypergol engines that power trips today, with funding from NASA. This could very well be the way that future space missions get off the ground. More »
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