Important Innovations

  Bezos & Brother Mark to Launch on July 20, 2021                                             Source:  Amazon & Blue Origin Space Capsule Billionaire in Orbit With his Blue Origin Space Company Amazon founder & CEO Jeff Bezos and his brother Mark are flying to space on a Blue Origin flight on July 20th.  Blue Origin is the space company founded by Jeff Bezos.  This will be the first human flight launched by Blue Origin and the first mission manned by pilots.  In a post on Instagram, Jeff Bezos said going to space was something he wanted to do "all my life".  He will be taking the ride of his life on his own rocket, joined by his brother, the manned flight crew along with a soon to be announced passenger. A Seat Is Up For Grabs Blue Origin is auctioning off a seat in the capsule for someone who would like to join the Bezos brothers for the space flight.  Bidding for the seat has already reached $2.8 million and the auction closes on June 12.  Blue Origin has said i

  Virgin Galactic's High Flying Experiments Source:  Virgin Galactic Research Scientist Kellie Gerardi Virgin Galactic, Sir Richard Branson's New Mexico-based space company, will fly scientific researcher Kellie Gerardi to space to test new health care technologies.  Gerardi is a researcher for the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences. She is an expert in bioastronautics. She will serve as payload specialist on a dedicated research flight.  She will perform experiments on wearable health monitoring sensor systems and syringe designs for use in space.  She will also experiment with free floating liquids.  Gerardi has conducted experiments onboard reduced gravity flights at lower altitudes in conjunction with the Canadian Space Agency. Successful Manned Space Flight Virgin Galactic successfully tested its mothership VMS Eve and the VMS Unity space plane with two pilots onboard in May 2021.  This successful manned space flight will be followed by more test flights in

  Virgin Galactic's High Flying Scientific Experiments Source:  Virgin Galactic Research Scientist Kellie Gerardi Virgin Galactic, Sir Richard Branson's New Mexico-based space company, will fly scientific researcher Kellie Gerardi to space to test new health care technologies.  Gerardi is a researcher for the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences. She is an expert in bioastronautics. She will serve as payload specialist on a dedicated research flight.  She will perform experiments on wearable health monitoring sensor systems and syringe designs for use in space.  She will also experiment with free floating liquids.  Gerardi has conducted experiments onboard reduced gravity flights at lower altitudes in conjunction with the Canadian Space Agency. Successful Manned Space Flight Virgin Galactic successfully tested its mothership VMS Eve and the VMS Unity space plane with two pilots onboard in May 2021.  This successful manned space flight will be followed by more test

  First Missions to Inferno Like Planet in 30 Years                                                                           Source:  NASA Search for Interplanetary Answers NASA will launch two new missions to Venus between 2028 and 2030.  These missions of discovery will be the first explorations of Venus in thirty years.  NASA Administration Bill Nelson says the purpose is to provide new understanding of how Earth evolved, why it is habitable and why other planets in our solar system are not.  Nelson added that planetary science is critical to answering key questions like "Are we alone?" $1 Billion in Funding   The two selected mission concepts are called DAVINCI+ and VERITAS.  Each will be given $500 million for development funding. DAVINCI+ will measure the composition of Venus' atmosphere to learn how the planet formed, evolved and if it ever contained an ocean.  DAVINCI+ stands for Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry and Imaging.  The meas

  First Missions to Inferno Like Planet in Late 2020's                                                                                                                                                                      Source:  NASA Search for Interplanetary Answers NASA will launch two new missions to Venus between 2028 and 2030.  These missions of discovery will be the first explorations of Venus in thirty years.  NASA Administration Bill Nelson says the purpose is to provide new understanding of how Earth evolved, why it is habitable and why other planets in our solar system are not.  Nelson added that planetary science is critical to answering key questions like "Are we alone?" $1 Billion in Funding   The two selected mission concepts are called DAVINCI+ and VERITAS.  Each will be given $500 million for development funding. DAVINCI+ will measure the composition of Venus' atmosphere to learn how the planet formed, evolved and if it ever contained an ocean.  DAVINC

  Amazon Deep Discounts Up to 83% for a Limited Time 5-Star Rated Books Included For a few days, you can take advantage of deep discounts on several of Edward Kane's 5-star rated books on brand new innovations that I co-authored with Ed.  These discounts are up to 83% on the listed prices and will go back up to the regular listed prices in just a few days.  Books included in this Amazon promotion are "Europe:  The Global Innovation Leader" a 5-star rated book that is discounted by 83% to $1.99  https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B08MSDR7JZ&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_QWPHR087DQ8EWZ84QR6J   Another 5-star rated book is Ed's solo work of children's adventure fiction "How Dare You" which is particularly targeted to inspire young girls through cross country running to overcome adversities. It's discounted at 62% to $1.99   https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B07YQ4T1CJ&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw

  First Trip On July 20, 2021 on Jeff Bezos' New Shepherd Rocket/Capsule Combo                                             Source:  Blue Origin Whole New World of Adventure in Space for Private Citizens Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and of the space company Blue Origin, is targeting July 20,2021 for the world's first suborbital space sightseeing trip in Blue Origin's mission experienced New Shepherd combo rocket and space capsule.  Blue Origin is putting one passenger seat, on this first flight, up for auction for the next five weeks.  The proceeds will go to the space firm's charity foundation for distribution.  The July 20th event will be a landmark moment for private citizens' adventures in space travel.  The flight is expected to be crewed by astronauts and qualified aerospace experts. Stakes Represent Intergalactically High Competition Space tourism is a multi-billion component of the global commercialization of space.  Billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Mu

First Trip On July 20, 2021 on Jeff Bezos' New Shepherd Rocket/Capsule Combo                                             Source:  Blue Origin Whole New World of Adventure in Space for Private Citizens Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and of the space company Blue Origin, is targeting July 20,2021 for the world's first suborbital space sightseeing trip in Blue Origin's mission experienced New Shepherd combo rocket and space capsule.  Blue Origin is putting one passenger seat, on this first flight, up for auction for the next five weeks.  The proceeds will go to the space firm's charity foundation for distribution.  The July 20th event will be a landmark moment for private citizens' adventures in space travel.  The flight is expected to be crewed by astronauts and qualified aerospace experts. Stakes Represent Intergalactically High Competition Space tourism is a multi-billion component of the global commercialization of space.  Billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk

  Bezos' Blue Origin Ready to Sell Space Tourism Tickets                                                            Source:  Blue Origin's New Shepherd Rocket Travel Like Nothing Else - Hurtling into Space on New Shepherd Rocket Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin is about to start selling tickets for rides on its space tourism rocket New Shepherd.  The rocket has the capacity to carry six passengers into the lower edges of space.  It has been launched multiple times, successfully tested and has completed 11 missions.  You can sign up for a seat on the Blue Origin website.  The ticket price is expected to be disclosed by the company very soon. Vacationing in Zero Gravity The New Shepherd launch site is located in a remote desert area in Texas.  The space capsule has massive windows for passengers to enjoy the view.  Once reaching the edges of space, passengers will spend 10 minutes in zero gravity before returning to Earth. The rocket launches vertically wi

  Bezos' Blue Origin Ready to Sell Space Tourism Tickets                                                            Source:  Blue Origin's New Shepherd Rocket Travel Like Nothing Else - Hurtling into Space on New Shepherd Rocket Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin is about to start selling tickets for rides on its space tourism rocket New Shepherd.  The rocket has the capacity to carry six passengers into the lower edges of space.  It has been launched multiple times, successfully tested and has completed 11 missions.  You can sign up for a seat on the Blue Origin website.  The ticket price is expected to be disclosed by the company very soon. Vacationing in Zero Gravity The New Shepherd launch site is located in a remote desert area in Texas.  The space capsule has massive windows for passengers to enjoy the view.  Once reaching the edges of space, passengers will spend 10 minutes in zero gravity before returning to Earth. The rocket launches vertically wi

  New Robot Capable of Catching "A Speeding Bullet" in Space                                  Source:  Space Junk Stock Image                                                            Source:  Origin Space's NEO-1 Leading to New Technologies For Mining Asteroids There are more than 500,000 pieces of space debris hurtling through space.  They all travel at 17,500 mph and even a small piece can damage or destroy a satellite or spacecraft.  Now, a China space mining company Origin Space has launched a robot prototype that is capable of catching space debris with a large net.  The technology is the equivalent of catching a speeding bullet.  The 30 kg robot is called NEO-1.  Origin Space says the robot is also designed to lead the way for the development of future asteroid mining technologies.  NEO-1's current mission also includes searching deep space for small celestial objects. Collecting Space Junk NEO-1 will use a large net to capture space junk and then burn the deb

   World Aviation History is Made                               Source:  NASA - Ingenuity 1st Image First Helicopter That Flew on Another Planet NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter has succeeded in achieving the first powered, controlled flight on another planet.  It used its navigation camera, which autonomously tracks the ground beneath Ingenuity during flight, to take its first black and white image from the air.  The small rotocraft has made world history with its first flight.  It is part of a long series of NASA achievements that were thought to be technologically impossible. First Flight Ingenuity is solar-powered.  During its first flight, it reached a height of ten feet and hovered steadily for thirty seconds before landing smoothly back on Mars after 39.1 seconds of flight.  The flight test was totally autonomous.  Because of Mars' nearly 200 million mile distance from Earth, NASA can not control Ingenuity with a joystick.  Ingenuity's flight was powered and piloted

  Perseverance Rover Monitoring the Martian Weather                     Source: NASA Perseverance & Ingenuity on Mars WX Critical For Ingenuity Helicopter Flights  History continues to be made by NASA, its Perseverance Rover and Ingenuity drone helicopter on Mars.  Perseverance has provided NASA with its first full weather report from Mars.  Weather conditions are critical for NASA to make informed decisions on Ingenuity's schedule of flight testing.  Ingenuity is the world's first helicopter to land on Mars and, for that matter, on any planet outside of the Earth. The weather data is also mission critical for making decisions on the Perseverance rover's series of missions.  And the weather data tremendously expands understanding of the Martian atmosphere for NASA scientists. Average Temperatures Far Colder Than Earth Weather conditions are a deciding factor on when Ingenuity takes flight, which could be as early as Sunday. Perseverance's first weather report showed

  Ingenuity Lands on Mars                            Source:  NASA Ingenuity Landing on Mars First Helicopter on Another Planet NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity is an aviation wonder.  It is the world's first helicopter to land on Mars after being dropped out of its mother ship Perseverance Rover.  The final drop was 4 inches and Ingenuity's legs fully deployed.  The helicopter's first flight is scheduled for April 11 with data on how its systems performed and what it observed on Mars coming back to NASA on April 12.  These history making milestones are occurring 293 million miles away from Earth.  Technological Marvel Ingenuity is a technological marvel.  It weighs just 4 pounds and unfolds like a butterfly.  The vehicle is solar powered and relies on a rechargeable battery to power an internal heater to stay warm during the harshly cold Martian nights that can go down to -130 degrees F.  The helicopter interior needs to be about 45 degrees F to preserve the sensitive

  A Car That Walks                                             Source:  Hyundai Tiger Combines Robotics with Transportation South Korean automaker Hyundai is taking a leading role in the future of transportation innovation. It just unveiled its latest concept vehicle - Tiger - an electric, autonomous driving & walking car.  The vehicle innovatively combines robotics with transportation.  Hyundai calls it a UMV or ultimate mobility vehicle.  It is designed to change from a 4 wheel drive vehicle for road and off-road travel to a 4 leg walking vehicle when necessary to climb over obstacles that it can't drive over.  Tiger stands for Transforming Intelligent Ground Excursion Robot. Fully Autonomous Tiger is designed to be driverless and crewless with no passengers onboard. It is all electric and runs on four electric engines, each on top of each wheel.  It is fully autonomous.  Its purpose is to carry packages, material and payloads to hard to reach places, including disaster areas

  NASA's Tiny Helicopter Ingenuity Sends Mars Status Report                                                                        Source:  NASA Perseverance and Ingenuity NASA's Perseverance rover's travelling companion to Mars, mini-helicopter Ingenuity, has sent a positive status report to NASA Mission Control.  Ingenuity sent it by phone.  Ingenuity is a small helicopter drone that will detach from Perseverance and attempt the first drone flight on another planet.  It weighs 4 pounds and is specifically designed to fly in the Martian atmosphere which is 100 times thinner than the Earth's atmosphere.  The helicopter is equipped with a camera and will take images of the Martian surface. Next Steps Perseverance will take the next 30 to 60 days to find an area suitable for Ingenuity to take off and land on.  In the next several days, the mission is to get Ingenuity's batteries fully charged.  The power source is Perseverance's radioisotope power reactor.  NASA h

  Perseverance   Mission Impossible Just Accomplished                                         Source:  NASA Perseverance Perseverance Free to Roam Mars For Two Years NASA's most advanced rover has defied the stiff Martian  odds and successfully landed on Mars.  Cheers erupted late today in the NASA control room as the Perseverance rover, NASA's most technologically advanced rover that the team built for ten years, touched down safely on the Red Planet.  Hundreds of major technological maneuvers had to go right for this historic accomplishment.  The most important:  what NASA calls "the last 7 minutes of terror" when Perseverance was out of contact with NASA because of an 11 minute delay in radio wave communications with the Red Planet.  Perseverance was on its own maneuvering down to the surface of Mars on a rocket powered jet pack and finally lowered down by cables.  It is a technological wonder that worked! Bold and Ambitious Space Exploration This is NASA's mos

  UAE, China, US Satellites in Mars Orbits                                  Source:  UAE Hope Mission to Mars US Perseverance Probe Arriving on Mars Next Week Mars is getting a lot of visitors arriving for Valentine's Day, mid February and staying for a few months beyond.  The United Amirate Emirates (UAE) mission Hope arrived yesterday and is in a stable orbit around Mars. Now, China's Tianwen-1 synced into another successful orbit around the Red Planet.  And, last but not least, NASA's Perseverance Rover spacecraft will touchdown on Mars next week.  Touchdown is expected on February 18, 2021.  Talk about a crowded destination in space.  There is a bit of intergalactic traffic converging on Mars and the scientific results could be spectacular. UAE Mission Autonomous The UAE spacecraft now in orbit is the size of a SUV.  And what is such a great technological achievement for the UAE, the Hope vehicle (al-Amal or hope in Arabic) used its autonomous, onboard computers to put

  Nuclear Rockets Are The Fastest Way To Mars                                                            Source: Nuclear Spacecraft Artist Image                                        Source:  USNC-Tech Nuclear Space Rocket Technology Under Development By 2035, NASA wants to land astronauts on Mars.  And NASA wants to get the astronauts to the Red Planet as quickly as possible to minimize exposure to space radiation and reduce travel risks.  To achieve that, the space agency wants the Mars mission launched on a nuclear powered space rocket.  It would reduce the travel time to Mars, which is 140 million miles from Earth, to three months instead of nine months on current rocket technology.  The total Mars mission would take less than 2 years instead of more than 3 years. Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Seattle-based Ultra Safe Nuclear Technologies (USNC-Tech) is developing a nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) rocket engine to do the job.  The company says the technology is more powerful and twi

 SpaceX  Transporter 1: Sets Record Space Ride Share Launch                                                       Source:  SpaceX 143 Spacecraft Launched on a Single SpaceX Rocket If you need a ride share to space, SpaceX is offering it and breaking records doing it.  On January 24, 2021, SpaceX launched 143 spacecraft ridesharing inside of a single Falcon 9 rocket.  The cosmic ride sharing program is called Transporter 1.  SpaceX has set a new world record for new space vehicles deployed in one rocket launch. For SpaceX, the mission is another historic success.  SpaceX was founded by entrepreneur and CEO Elon Musk. Record Cosmic Vehicles Onboard The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.  The reusable rocket carried 133 commercial and government spacecrafts and 10 SpaceX Starlink satellites to space.  SpaceX calls their space ride sharing system a reliable, affordable ride to space for small satellites.  The launch of 143 spacecraft  broke all records for a joint rid