Monthly Archives: November 2015

Science and Technology

Sci-Tech: Videos – JetPack Aviation demos new JB-9 in NYC + Two Jetmen fly with A380 + Martin Jetpack update

JetPack Aviation is developing a dual jet turbine powered backpack that will keep a person aloft for up to 10 minutes (vs 30 seconds or so from traditional H2O2 powered rocket packs). Here is a recent demo of their latest model: The World’s Only Jetpack Soars Past the Statue of Liberty New York – JPA – Nov.4.2015

We’ve been test flying JB-9 for several years with awesome results. It is inherently stable but also capable of very dynamic maneuvers thanks to our approach to engine vectoring. Early testing of our next version, JB-10, indicates that it will achieve flights of over 10,000 feet altitude (not that many pilots will be needing to fly that high!), at speeds greater than 100 mph and with an endurance of 10 minutes + (depending on pilot weight).

All with a device you can put in the back seat of a car!

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Meanwhile, two Jetmen (Yves Rossy and Vince Reffet) in a completely different sort of back pack jet powered system jumped from a helicopter and flew in formation with an Airbus 380 over Dubai:

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Martin Aircraft‘s JetPack (which actually uses ducted fans instead of jets and is more of a platform than a back pack) continues to move towards commercial sales in second half of 2016. The company’s vehicles have been earning New Zealand permits for manned flight.

Glenn Martin, who was the founder and primary force behind the company’s technology, resigned in June primarily due to the fact that the new corporate management had decided to focus on the emergency services market rather than on personal flight: Jetpack firm founder Glenn Martin resigns suddenly – Stuff.co.nz

Here are videos of recent unmanned test flights:

This link goes to an interview with the current head of the company: Edison Investment Research Interview with Martin Jetpack – 13 October 2015 –

In this video interview, CEO and Managing Director Peter Coker discusses the technical aspects and potential applications for the Martin Jetpack, capitalising on its flexibility in demanding operational environments. He also outlines the ability to continue to fund the programme to full commercialisation. First commercial delivery is expected in the second half of 2016, with emergency first responders the initial target market. The move from a research-led, non-revenue company to a fully industrialised manufacturer provides an interesting proposition as future technical milestones are achieved, with technical risk mitigation a current priority.

Exoplanets, SETI

Videos: The Search for Another Earth + If ET Builds it, will be notice? + Imaging a habitable planet at Alpha Centauri

* The Search for Another Earth – a new video from NASA JPL :

Twenty years ago, the first exoplanet discovered around a sun-like star, 51 Pegasi b, made us question what we knew about our universe and launched the search for new worlds. This is the story of the pioneers in planet-hunting and how those who have followed are closer to answering one of humanity’s most ancient questions: Is there life elsewhere in the universe?

* If ET Builds It, Will We Notice? – The SETI Institute posted this brief video about whether there might be way to detect a distant super high tech civilization could be detected via the light of its star:

Could an alien civilization build unusual super-structures to attract the attention other worlds? Could we detect such an anomaly using the Kepler telescope?

This excerpt is from a 2013 SETI talk by Jason Wright of Penn. State suggests an alternate way for ET to “send a signal.”

Wright’s complete seminar video is available here.

* Imaging a habitable planet at Alpha Centauri – Ruslan Belikov & Eduardo Bendek (SETI Talks)

From the caption:

In 1990, at the request of Carl Sagan, Voyager 1 turned and took a picture of Earth from a distance of 6 billion kilometers. This produced the famous “pale blue dot” image of our planet. Several mission concepts are being studied to obtain similar images of Earth-like exoplanets (exo-Earths) around other stars. It is commonly thought that directly imaging a potentially habitable exoplanet requires telescopes with apertures of at least 1 meter, costing at least $1B, and launching no earlier than the 2020s. A notable exception to this is Alpha Centauri (A and B), which is unusually close for a Sun-like star. A ~30-45cm visible light space telescope equipped with a modern high performance coronagraph is sufficient to resolve the habitable zone at high contrast and directly image any potentially habitable planet that may exist in the system.

Dr. Belikov will describe the challenges involved with direct imaging of Alpha Centauri planetary systems with a small telescope and how new technologies currently being developed can solve them. He will also show examples of small coronagraphic mission concepts currently being developed to take advantage of this opportunity, and in particular a mission concept called “ACESat: Alpha Centauri Exoplanet Sattellite” submitted to NASA’s small Explorer (SMEX) program in December of 2014.

Living in Space, Space Systems

Humanity has been in space continuously for 15 years

As of November 2nd, humans have been living continuously in space for 15 years aboard the International Space Station.

With a little luck, foresight and fortitude, humans will always be in space from now on and in ever growing numbers.

* Here ‘s a nice view of the station as seen from the Space Shuttle Discovery on March 7, 2011 during mission STS-133:

Space Station Over Earth (NASA, International Space Station, 03/07/11)

* Here’s a well made compilation of timelapse videos of the earth as seen from the ISS:

*  Here’s an infographic showing the construction of the station (Click here for large verson):

ISS: Some assembly required

* You can see live imagery of the earth as seen by a high-definition camera mounted on the exterior of the ISS (sometimes the feed is off for technical adjustments):


Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream

* With a modest telescope, the station can be imaged from the ground as it passes overhead.  For example,

20150409 21-44 ISSRoger Hutchinson took this image as the ISS 
passed over London on 9th April 2105