Science and Technology
Meet the Air Force’s “flying car”
This is not a joke. This the the brainchild of the Agility Prime program, a non-traditional program seeking to accelerate the commercial market for advanced air mobility vehicles. That thing that looks like it was cobbled together came from Air Force grant money though AFWERX. I expect this weird stuff from DARPA, but not the […]
So, Really: Just How Much Fuel Do Electric Vehicles “Burn”?
Intro I keep hearing how great electric vehicles are. “They’ll save the planet!” proponents say. “They’re the wave of the future!” And I think we’ve all seen or heard the “equivalent of 100+ MPG” claims made by some electric vehicle manufacturers (and the EPA). But I haven’t seen one simple question answered: just how much […]
Small asteroid becomes closest ever seen passing Earth: NASA
This NASA/JPL/ZTF/Caltech Optical Observatories handout image obtained on August 18, 2020 shows asteroid 2020 QG (the circled streak in the center), which came closer to Earth than any other nonimpacting asteroid on record While I’m told size matters, “nonimpacting” is the key term here. Don’t really care about gross tonnage as long as they keep […]
Air Force pilot to face virtual dogfight with AI foe
On Thursday this week the Air Force will pit one of its elite fighter pilots against a computer in a virtual dog fight. The DARPA program will consist of three days of trials and tests for their artificial intelligence systems. The USAF Weapons School-trained F-16 pilot will face off against eight AI teams’ systems to […]
SpaceX crew returns to Earth, splashes down in Gulf
“Thank you for flying SpaceX” – Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken return to Earth Two American astronauts have splashed down, as the first commercial crewed mission to the International Space Station returned to Earth. Doug Hurley’s and Bob Behnken’s capsule hit the water at about 14:48 EDT (19:48 BST; 18:48 GMT). The SpaceX Dragon Capsule […]
Mars Exploration
NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover has successfully launched on its epic mission to the Red Planet. The rover launched into space atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 7:50 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. After a seven month transit, The Rover will seek evidence […]
A Prolonged Period of Something
Iceland’s volcanoes have been busy the past few months. If you remember 2010, a mostly quiet volcano named Eyjafjallajökull showed signs of eruption well ahead of its actual event, but no one except geologists, volcanologists and Icelanders really took it seriously until it happened. Eyjafjallajökull lies 25 km (16 mi) west of another subglacial volcano, Katla, under […]
Upcoming Solar Cycle Hints at Mini Ice Age Climate
Centuries of sunspot observations show a connection between sunspot numbers and long term climate. Weak sunspot activity occurred during cooler periods and strong sunspot activity occurred during warmer periods. Sunspot activity was “little to none” during the Maunder and Dalton Solar Minimums. Collectively, these minimums were associated with the Little Ice Age. Sunspot activity increased […]
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