Science and Technology

Sci-Tech: Martin Jetpack to begin manned flight tests

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Martin Jetpack of New Zealand has gotten permission there to begin manned flight tests of their dual ducted fan personal vertical takeoff and landing vehicle:

The new version of the vehicle has the fans, which are not jets but driven by 2-stroke piston engines, lower down relative to the pilot. They say that this “has vastly improved the jetpack’s performance, especially its maneuverability”.  It can fly for up to 30 minutes at a cruise speed of 30 kts. (See specs here.)

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The vehicle has a ballistic parachute system to save the pilot if the engine fails and a number of other Safety Features.

Here is a recent video of a flight test of the vehicle controlled remotely:

Future space, Space Settlement, Space Systems

Icarus Interstellar Starship Congress, Dallas, TX, Aug. 15-18

The Icarus Interstellar is hosting the Starship Congress in Dallas, Texas this Thursday through Sunday: Starship Congress: Competing Our Way to the Stars : Discovery News.

The gathering is described as follows:

The Icarus Interstellar Starship Congress to be held in Dallas, Texas, August 15-18 at the Hilton Anatole.

The Icarus Interstellar Starship Congress aims to bring together the interstellar community to foster discussion and generate tangible action. Our ambition is to move humanity toward becoming an interstellar civilization, with a broad campaign of exploration and migration to begin by the year 2100.

For 2013, the Icarus Interstellar Starship Congress is a four-day event. The first three days are dedicated to interstellar accomplishments in specific timescales: Interstellar Now (Next 20 Years), Interstellar This Lifetime (20-50 Years), and Interstellar Future (50 Years+). These are the near-term, medium-term and long-term focuses necessary for the realization of our ambition. The fourth day will be a wrap-up of the Starship Congress with a chance to network and plan for the future.

Presenters are a combination of scientists, physicists, engineers, researchers, and representatives from international space programs and present-day commercial space operators, as well as popular and well-known interstellar speakers and space journalists. Special note: Day 3 presenters include Science Fiction celebrities, authors and creators. The fourth day is for discussion of future plans and a summary of the congress.

The conference Program looks packed. Here’s a promotional video:

Space Settlement

Project Ion interviews space advocate Jerry Stone

The theme of the PROJECT ION site is “Working towards the radiation of Life from the Earth out into Space”. In their latest post, Jerry Stone talks about his long interest in free floating space colonies like those promoted by the late Gerard O’Neill, a noted Princeton physics professor:  An Interview with Space Advocate Jerry Stone – Project Ion.

 

Space books

Space epics for children

Author SF Said writes about the difficulties in the post-1960s Space Age to publish children’s books with a space theme  : Children’s space stories are ready to take off again: Publishers have been wary of this kind of science fiction for years, but it’s set to thrill a new generation – theguardian.com.

His new book Phoenix, aimed at readers nine and up, is described as follows:

Lucky thinks he’s an ordinary Human boy.  But one night, he dreams that the stars are singing – and wakes to find an uncontrollable power rising inside him.

Now he’s on the run, racing through space, searching for answers.  In a galaxy at war, where Humans and Aliens are deadly enemies, the only people who can help him are an Alien starship crew – and an Alien warrior girl, with neon needles in her hair.

Together, they must find a way to save the galaxy.  For Lucky is not the only one in danger. His destiny and the fate of the universe are connected in the most explosive way…

Here is a a very nicely done short video illustrating a dramatic reading of a section of the book:

Science and Technology

Sci-Tech: Elon Musk unveils the Hyperloop super-fast mass transit concept

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Elon Musk has posted details of his Hyperloop mass transportation system concept :

Seems like a clever approach. More practical than the air-tube or vacuum tube concepts that have been around forever.

Elon recently said he would turn the idea over for open source style development and reserve his time for SpaceX and Tesla Motors.

I hope someone or group can push it to a hardware test level. As with innovative concepts for rockets, the upfront costs for such systems are so high, it is very difficult to get through development problems and setbacks without running out of money.

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Everyone can participate in space