Cassini Just Dove Into ‘The Big Empty’ Between Saturn and Its Rings
The first foray between Saturn and its rings reveals this zone is… bizarrely quiet. Continue reading Cassini Just Dove Into ‘The Big Empty’ Between Saturn and Its Rings
Category Archives: exploration
PUFFER: A Smartphone-Sized Planetary Explorer
Is there room on Mars and Europa for cute robots? [NASA] — collaborating with [UC Berkley] and [Distant Focus Corporation] — have the answer: PUFFER, a robot inspired by origami.
PUFFER — which stands for Pop-Up Flat-Folding Explorer Robot — is able to sense objects and adjust its profile accordingly by ‘folding’ itself into a smaller size to fit itself into nooks and crannies. It was designed so multiple PUFFERs could reside inside a larger craft and then be deployed to scout otherwise inaccessible terrain. Caves, lava tubes and shaded rock overhangs that could shelter organic material are prime candidates …read more
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The Top 10 Scientific Discoveries that Renewed Our Faith in Humanity This Year
Not everything this year was shit, we promise. Continue reading The Top 10 Scientific Discoveries that Renewed Our Faith in Humanity This Year
Dead Mars Lander Thought It Had Safely Landed Before It Crashed
Four minutes and 41 seconds into its descent sequence, the European/Russian-built lander apparently got disoriented. Continue reading Dead Mars Lander Thought It Had Safely Landed Before It Crashed
Seeing Earth from Space Is the Key to Saving Our Species from Itself
The Overview Effect is the motivational kick-in-the-butt we need to save humanity from extinction and journey beyond our home world. Continue reading Seeing Earth from Space Is the Key to Saving Our Species from Itself
China Plans to Send this Bad Boy to Mars in 2020
The 2020s are shaping up to be a busy and diverse era in Martian surface exploration. Continue reading China Plans to Send this Bad Boy to Mars in 2020
Watch this Delightfully Profane Short History of Rockets
“Space is taunting us and Mars looks pretty dope.” Continue reading Watch this Delightfully Profane Short History of Rockets
Highlights From Robotic Shipwreck Exploration
OpenROV shared the results of their June 2016 underwater expedition to locate and robotically explore the wreck of the S.S. Tahoe, currently sitting at a depth of 150m in Lake Tahoe. Back in 1940 the ship was intentionally scuttled in shallow water, but unexpectedly slid to a much deeper depth. OpenROV used a modified version of their new Trident design to dive all the way down to the wreck and take a good look at things, streaming it over the internet in the process.
We previously covered the DIY research vessel that was designed and created as a floating base …read more
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An Afternoon With the World’s Most Powerful Rocket Booster
This week, in middle-of-nowhere Utah, a NASA contractor tested the rocket booster that will get future astronauts to deep space. I went. Continue reading An Afternoon With the World’s Most Powerful Rocket Booster
Foster a Robot, Explore Your Home Planet
The robots we’ve sent to explore other worlds in our stead are impressive feats of engineering. But stuck at the bottom of our gravity well as we are, they are fantastically expensive ventures that are out of reach of the DIY community. There’s still plenty to explore right in your own backyard, though, and this robot needs your help to explore planet Earth.
The project is called RoboSpatium, and it’s the brainchild of [Norbert Heinz]. The idea is a little like HitchBot except it will be sent from host to host by mail. (And it’s an actual robot, and not …read more
