Revolutionary thruster set for space launch

An ANU researcher’s revolutionary ‘plasma thruster’ will be developed for launch into space within the next four years, as part of a prototype satellite. It will be the first time in seven years that a piece of Australian hardware will be sent into space and the first time a satellite with a plasma engine will be tested.

Source: http://news.anu.edu.au/?p=1178

Skylon's Sabre propulsion system

In short, it's a space plane. The creation of Reaction Engines Limited, a British outfit based at the Culham Science Center in Oxfordshire, the Skylon will be able to take off from and land at normal airport runways in order to deliver its payload of up to 13 tons in orbit.

The thrust is created by burning hydrogen and oxygen — a tricky concept, because air in the lower atmosphere can reach temperatures of 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. In order to cool the air before compressing and burning it, Reaction Engines have created a heat exchanger pre-cooler, which consists of ultra-fine piping that drops the temperature of the hot intake gases to minus 200°F in just one hundredth of a second.

Source: http://www.reactionengines.co.uk/index.html

Moon Publicity

Many people are strongly opposed to creating commercial images on the Moon. We would feel the same way if it were solely for monetary gain.

Source: http://www.moonpublicity.com/mp/

Odor-Free Clothes

The clothes, developed by Yoshiko Taya and colleagues at the Japan Women's University in Tokyo, were tested by JAXA astronauts during two previous shuttle missions and won rave reviews. In addition to odor control, the clothes are designed to absorb water, insulate the body and dry quickly. They also are flame-resistant and anti-static -- as well as comfortable and attractive.

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Cleaning Up Space Debris

Lasers and Water Guns.

Using aging rockets loaded with water to spray orbiting junk. His idea is that the extraterrestrial shower would gradually knock refuse down toward the atmosphere, where it would burn up, as would the launcher. The water would turn to steam.

Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory, a leading space research center, recently conducted feasibility studies into junk-zapping lasers and garbage-collecting rockets

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Space-Based Power

The concept of Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) has been doing the rounds for decades with fantastic claims of 24 hour a day solar power beamed from space via microwave to any point on earth. A start up company called Space Energy, Inc says it plans to develop SBSP satellites to generate and transmit electricity to receivers on the Earth's surface. To do this, the company plans to create and launch a prototype satellite into low earth orbit (LEO). The hitch: this concept is based on as yet unproven technology.

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NASA Offering Zero Gravity Flight For Free

NASA is looking for new technologies that have potential use in future agency projects which could benefit from testing during flights on an airplane that simulates the weightless conditions of space. The testing opportunities are being offered to U.S. companies, individuals, academic or research institutions, or government agencies. Through a partnership agreement, NASA will provide free flight time for the tests while project teams will be responsible for all other expenses. Proposals are due by March 20.

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NASA Details

An Islamic Space Agency (ISA)

Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar — a doctor by qualification, an astronaut by training and a model by choice. Now the man is on a mission to establish an Islamic Space Agency (ISA).

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The diaper is the Toilet for the next generation of Astronauts

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has teamed up with engineers from the private sector to develop a next-generation space toilet, which they hope to complete within the next five years.

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