NASA just discovered seven Earth like planets
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The more Earth like planets we discover the more new homes we find for humanity when we finally become an interstellar species Not just one, but seven Earth sized planets that could potentially harbour life have been identified orbiting a tiny star not too far...
NASA wants to turn asteroids into spacecraft
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Turning an asteroid into a spacecraft sounds easy, but it isn’t, however, thanks to 3D printing and some brainy experts we could see the first asteroid spacecraft appear in the 2030’s. The concept of mining things in space, whether it’s mining the Moon for...
Scientists in New York have created a working tractor beam
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Being able to move objects with light has been science fiction for a long time, but scientists in New York have already made it happen, and they’re now scaling it up. Science fiction is rapidly becoming a reality, and we can see the evidence...
NASA unveils its new Mars habitat concept
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF When the first astronauts arrive on Mars they’re going to need somewhere to eat, live and sleep, and NASA’s new icy concept could be just the home away from home they always wanted There are a lot of hoops to jump through before anyone...
Japan gets ready to test its space junk grabbing space whip
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Space debris is an increasingly serious problem for space agencies who are loosing more space assets because of it than ever before, Japans system, while still as yet unproven might prove to be a credible solution. The Japanese Space Exploration Agency (JAXA) will soon be...
Self healing nano spaceships travelling at a fifth the speed of light help NASA explore the heavens
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Many regions of space are still off limits to us because of the extreme distances involved but new self-healing, nano sized spacecraft that can travel at a fifth of the speed of light will help us unlock more mysteries of the universe. Working with...
Mining the Moon, Moon Express sets 2017 launch date
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The Moon contains trillions of dollars worth of minerals and rare earth metals but mining and transporting them has been technically and commercially challenging, but over the next few decades that could change. Earlier this year Moon Express, a private venture, founded by billionaire...
NASA is funding an artificial gravity program
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Astronauts who are exposed to long periods of microgravity suffer health problems when they get back to Earth, an artificial gravity system would replicate the natural gravity of Earth and prevent the problems from occurring. Microgravity is bad for the bones and muscles. Just...
Leaked NASA documents show impossible EmDrive might work
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Scientists have demonstrated that an impossible space drive that doesn’t need fuel and that defies physics might actually work, if true then it opens up new possibilities for space exploration. An experimental propulsion system that seems to violate the laws of physics may actually...
NASA’s new $8.7Bn space telescope can detect a bumble bee on the Moon
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The James Webb’s impressive array of near field IR sensors and high grade optics will allow scientists to learn more about the formation of planets and galaxies as well discover more about the origin of life itself. The Hubble Space Telescope has given humanity...
ISS SPHERE drones learn to see and fly around in space all by themselves
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF This new milestone will help to pave the way for fully autonomous drones, and vehicles, that can navigate their surroundings without the need for any specific maps or navigation aids. During an experiment this week on board the International Space Station (ISS) a small drone,...
Ubers flying taxis will take passengers to the heavens and back by 2021
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Most urban transportation systems today are at capacity and, or, gridlocked. Using the airspace above cities is one way to alleviate those burdens. There’s no doubt that Uber has redefined the world of business and sparked a revolution. Whether it’s because they’re masters at tapping...
Take a glorious Hi Def tour of the International Space Station
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Have you ever wanted to float around the International Space Station? Now’s your chance. Since its launch in 1998 only 225 people have ever set foot upon the International Space Station (ISS). So that leaves only seven and a half billion or so of...
The race is on as Boeing vows to beat SpaceX to Mars
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The race for Mars is hotting up as Boeing enters the race. Less than a week after SpaceX founder Elon Musk detailed his vision to get people to Mars Boeings CEO has intimated that the company plans to beat Musk – and everyone else for that...
NASA demos RASSOR their “Blue collar” robot that will mine Mars for rocket fuel
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF NASA is prepping robots for Mars so humans can get on with the important stuff. A NASA robot which is programmed to dig for water, oxygen and rocket fuel could be the first step in colonising Mars – whether that’s via a NASA mission,...
SpaceX founder Elon Musk plans to get humans to Mars by 2022
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Making the leap to become an interplanetary species will happen but Musk wants it to happen by 2022. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. Now we know how Elon Musk plans to...
D-Wave readies a 2,000 qubit quantum computer for 2017 launch
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF D-Wave doubles the qubits and boosts previous models performance by 1,000 fold. Forget logic based servers D-Wave Systems, the controversial quantum computing pioneer, will start shipping a quantum computer with 2,000 qubits – twice the size of its current 1,000 qubit D-Wave 2X in 2017. And, seven...
NASA MinION ushers in a new era of space healthcare
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF NASA successfully sequences DNA in space, ushering in better healthcare for astronauts and a new era in space biology. For the first time ever, DNA was successfully sequenced in microgravity as part of the Biomolecule Sequencer experiment performed by NASA astronaut Kate Rubins this weekend...
Quantum computing Rose’s Law is Moore’s Law on steroids
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Rose’s Law for Quantum Computing highlights the new platforms sheer power to solve humanity’s and society’s most complex problems on, and off, Earth. When Steve Jurvetson, Managing Director of the investment firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DJF) first met Geordie Rose, now CTO and former CEO of...
The solar system just got its own internet
The vastness of space means that traditional internet technologies are unreliable so This month, NASA took a major step toward creating a Solar System Internet by establishing the first operational Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) service on the International Space Station (ISS). The new DTN service will help automate and improve the availability...
