Category Archives: Space Exploration

It has been a tough year here on Earth, but 2020 was a bright spot for space exploration. SpaceX sent its futuristic Starship to new heights, three countries launched Mars missions, and robots grabbed debris from the moon and an asteroid.

2021 promises more, including a planned launch of the Hubble Space Telescopes successor.

Perhaps its no surprise then that space themes are having a moment in home decor. When so many of us Earthlings are stuck at home because of the pandemic, space imagery can add a sense of adventure or whimsy to rooms, walls and ceilings.

Ive done outer space, and starry skies, says New York interior designer Patrice Hoban. My clients love using stars as a backdrop in nurseries. Ive also worked with glow-paint to add an extra pop to kids rooms and home theaters.

She sticks tiny glow-in-the-dark stars to the ceiling; the light can last for hours. Its the closest thing Ive found to being in a planetarium, she says.

Rachel Magana, senior visual designer at the sustainable furniture-rental company Fernish, picked up some cosmological decorating ideas from a colleagues recent nursery project.

Base your color palette around deep blue tones, then splash in bits of color like yellow, white or red, she says. Or create your own galaxy wall. Paint a blue wall, then use some watered-down white paint to splatter it with fine droplets. You may just create some new constellations.

She suggests adding fun, space-agey lamps and vintage NASA posters.

Outer space has inspired designers for decades. In the 1960s, the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, along with the development of synthetic materials, led to a surge in futuristic furniture like molded plastic chairs and Sputnik-shaped lighting.

These days, you can download artwork directly from NASA: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov, or find it at retailers like Red Bubble, Etsy and Zazzle.

Magana also suggests making a letter board with a space-themed quote like Neil Armstrongs famous One small step for man phrase.

Much of the astronomy-themed art in the marketplace would be striking in any room. There are lunar graphics on canvas at Target. Tempapers got constellation wallpapers, but if you cant do wallpaper, consider Kenna Sato Designs constellation decals for walls or ceilings.

Galaxy Lamps has a sphere that looks like a planetoid. Charge it up with the included USB and cycle through 16 colors with three lighting modes. Theres a moon version, too. And at Beautiful Halo, find a collection of rocket-ship ceiling fixtures.

German designer Jan Kath has created a rug collection called Spacecrafted inspired by imagery of gas clouds and asteroid nebulae from the Hubble telescope.

Studio Greytak, in Missoula, Montana, has designed a Jupiter lamp out of the mineral aragonite, depicting the whirling, turbulent gases of the planet. And theres the Impact table, where a chunk of desert rose crystals is embedded with cast glass, as though a piece of asteroid had plunged into a pool.

Zodiac wall decals and a Milky Way throw rug can be found at Project Nursery. There are hanging mobiles of the planets and of stars and clouds, at both Crate & Kids and Pottery Barn Kids.

A glow-in-the-dark duvet cover printed with the solar system is also at PBK, but if youre ready to really head to the stars, check out Snurk Livings duvet set. The studio, owned by Dutch designers Peggy van Neer and Erik van Loo, has designed the set photoprinted with a life-size astronaut suit.

Creating a night sky on the ceiling of a home theater seems to be popular; Houzz has hundreds of examples for inspiration.

Maydan Architects in Palo Alto, California, designed one for a recent project.

Our clients grandfather was the owner of multiple movie theaters, says Mary Maydan. One of them had a retractable ceiling that enabled guests to experience the starry sky at night. When our client decided to build their home theater, this installation was actually fulfilling a lifelong dream.

The ceiling isnt retractable, but has an eight-paneled fixture depicting the Milky Way and a shooting star.

It provides very soft light and was intended to be kept on during the screening of the movie and create a magical experience, says Maydan.

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Space-themed decor brings the heavens indoors | Keys Homes | keysnews.com - KeysNews.com

SAN DIEGO, March 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KULR Technology Group Inc. (OTCQB: KULR) (the "Company" or "KULR"), a leading developer of next-generation lithium-ion battery safety and thermal management technologies, today announces a long-term technology and developmental partnership with Andretti Technologies (ATEC), the advanced technology arm of Andretti Autosport, founded by Michael Andretti. As part of the alliance, KULR will establish a thermal management testing and design platform for high performance battery solutions with the highest safety ratings specially adapted to the rigorous technical requirements of Andrettis global racing enterprise. Both partners will also focus on co-developing and co-marketing motorsports' battery and safety technologies to automotive partners for mass market EV applications.

The aim of the KULR and Andretti Technologies partnership is a transfer of technical knowledge from aerospace to the racetrack through ATEC affiliated programs. Drawing upon KULR's technical expertise building lightweight, high-performance thermal management solutions for space exploration, including the NICER instrument on the International Space Station, the Mercury Messenger and the SHERLOC instrument on the Mars Rover, ATEC plans to implement new cooling technology, battery cell architecture and testing methodologies for its high performance and high power applications within the global EV motorsports marketplace.

We are in the early innings of the EV revolution, said Michael Mo, CEO of KULR. "ATEC is a perfect partner for KULR to showcase our space-proven technology in the world of high performance motorsports. From here, we will deliver the absolute pinnacle in performance and the safest battery products for the mass EV markets."

KULR also emphasized its ambitions for its passive propagation resistant (PPR) solutions within the Andretti Technologies battery storage and transportation safety roadmap. KULRs passive propagation resistant packaging solutions for lithium batteries are critical at preventing cell to cell thermal runaway propagation which inhibits the fire and ejecta of a single battery cell from exiting the battery enclosure. The PPR architecture is also designed to absorb and mitigate rapid temperature changes in battery systems and keeps sensitive components within desired temperature ranges for their required specification. Avoiding any efficiency loss and/or serious damage to any system components results in a more sustainable, and environmentally sound, battery management system. This demand for sustainability played a major part in the new partnership with ATEC.

The alliance with KULR provides ATEC additional technical resources to accelerate engineering and scale battery system development in a sustainable way, says Roger Griffiths, Chief Technology Officer of Andretti Technologies, while also allowing us access to KULR's hardware expertise to help compete with the largest OEMs in the most competitive motorsport races on the planet.

To keep up-to-date on the joint development with the Andretti family of brands, please follow KULR Technology on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or TikTok.

About KULR Technology Group Inc. KULR Technology Group Inc. (OTCQB:KULR) develops, manufactures and licenses next-generation carbon fiber thermal management technologies for batteries and electronic systems. Leveraging the company's roots in developing breakthrough cooling solutions for NASA space missions and backed by a strong intellectual property portfolio, KULR enables leading aerospace, electronics, energy storage, 5G infrastructure, and electric vehicle manufacturers to make their products cooler, lighter and safer for the consumer. For more information, please visit http://www.KULRTechnology.com.

About Andretti Technologies The advanced technology arm of racing enterprise Andretti Autosport, Andretti Technologies was founded in late 2014 as the powertrain provider for the Andretti Formula E program. Building on the foundation of racing heritage and intense competition, the Michael Andretti-led outfit is dedicated to using the experiences of yesterday to help shape a better tomorrow. With an eye beyond motorsport, Andretti Technologies strives to raise the bar of innovation while meeting the future transportation needs of an ever evolving and more complex world.

Safe Harbor Statement This release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of offers to buy any securities of any entity. This release contains certain forward-looking statements based on our current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof. Our actual results may differ materially from those stated or implied in such forward-looking statements, due to risks and uncertainties associated with our business, which include the risk factors disclosed in our Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 14, 2020. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future and can be identified by forward-looking words such as anticipate, believe, could, estimate, expect, intend, may, should, and would or similar words. All forecasts are provided by management in this release are based on information available at this time and management expects that internal projections and expectations may change over time. In addition, the forecasts are entirely on managements best estimate of our future financial performance given our current contracts, current backlog of opportunities and conversations with new and existing customers about our products and services. We assume no obligation to update the information included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Media Contact: Derek Newton Head, Media Relations Main: (786) 499-8998 Derek.Newton@KULRTechnology.com

Investor Relations: KULR Technology Group Inc. Main: (888) 367-5559 IR@KULRTechnology.com

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KULR Technology Group Partners with Andretti Technologies to Bring Mars Rover Thermal Management Technology to EV Motorsports - GlobeNewswire

Pearl River County residents may hear rocket engines rumbling Thursday afternoon.

Four rocket engines will be tested at Stennis Space Center Thursday as part of the Core Stage Green Run Test Series. The test series began in January 2020 and is meant to ensure the SLS core stage is ready for lunar missions. The hot fire test was originally run in January, but was cut short, and is being run again Thursday.

The SLS rocket is designed to fly humans and cargo to the moon in a single launch and is powered by four RS-25 engines. NASA plans to land the first woman and next man on the moon by 2024 as part of the Artemis program.

The planned test window is between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., but may start early or late.

In a test, we say, the rocket engine will tells us when its ready, said Mike McDaniel, Aerojet Rocketdynes Site Lead for Stennis.

Preparations for the hot fire test began 48 hours before the test window. Tuesday afternoon, teams were reviewing data and the Boeing team began powering up the core stage.

Januarys hot fire test lasted just over a minute at 67 seconds, said McDaniel.

There was a core stage sensor that cut the test and the engines, so from our perspective the engines performed as expected. The engine startup, core stage startup and shutdown performed as planned, but there was a red line sensor that triggered the termination of the test at 67 seconds.

There are thousands of sensors on the core stage that monitor things like temperature and pressure. Those sensors have preset upper limits and if those are reached the core stage is shut down.

Thursdays test will be a full duration test, so the engines should run between four and eight minutes.

Although it was only for 67 seconds, the test in January made history as the first time all four RS-25 engines were ignited at the same time.

I was able to be on site and just view it, said McDaniel. Just the energy and the power and knowing that these vehicles will be launching into space is amazing. You get chills thinking about it. There just hasnt been this much liquid propulsion power since the early 70s, and theres just a lot of pride in being part of this program.

When testing on the SLS core stage is complete, it will be transported to Kennedy Space Center, where it will be integrated with the solid rocket boosters and the Orion capsule.

That whole system is being tested on the Artemis I mission.

Im sure the engineers will learn a lot about the systems and make it even better for the Artemis II when the astronauts are riding on it.

The Artemis I mission will be an uncrewed mission to the moon, which is set to launch towards the end of 2021. The Orion capsule will circle the moon and then return to Earth. The Artemis II mission will launch astronauts to the moon in 2024.

The teams who work on the SLS rocket think constantly about astronaut safety, said McDaniel, which is why they run a test with the same sequence that will be used to launch the vehicle at Kennedy Space Center.

The astronauts put their life and their families in our hands essentially and we want to make sure that we check and double check everything, every component for the astronauts riding on that vehicle.

One of the highlights of his work is meeting the astronauts, said McDaniel.

I have two groups of heroes, teachers and astronauts, so meeting the astronauts and talking with them about what we do and listening to how excited they are to ride on these engines, theres a lot of pride in that part.

For McDaniel, the work to create technology capable of space travel and deep space exploration is also about improving life on Earth. Technology developed for space exploration has gone on to be applied in medicine to develop better prosthetics and pacemakers.

I think people dont realize how much that technology comes back on Earth and improves our quality of life, he said. Its not just going into space to do it, its about the quality its going to be bringing to our children and our grandchildren and humanity.

Aerojet Rocketdyne is already developing the next generation of RS-25 engines, using advanced manufacturing processes, like 3D printing, to make engines that are lighter and more durable. McDaniel believes these manufacturing techniques will impact life on Earth.

I really believe that going forward, manufacturing, the material properties that make material lighter and stronger and more durable and doing that with the added technology of 3D printing, that technology is just going to continue to advance. I dont know what that will look like in 20 years, but it will definitely be different and better than today.

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Hot fire test set for Thursday at Stennis will put SLS engines through the paces - Picayune Item - Picayune Item

Recent Democratic presidents have supported and initiated important, bold and sustainable robotic and commercial space efforts. But no Democrat since John F. Kennedy has set this nation onto a course that resulted in humans exploring new worlds.

Kennedy famously charged the country to put humans on the Moon during the 1960s and he made it a prominent part of the messaging of his New Frontiers administration. As Ingrid Ockert recently wrote in a book review about Apollo, Kennedy used space for defining his administration in contrast to the perceived failures of (his predecessor)believing that success in space would position Democrats as the party of vision and imagination. And it worked.

Kennedy did not live to see his moonshot realized but it enthralled the world. It also accomplished a masterful feat of soft power projection and it inspired a generation at home to embark in careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) that fueled the PC and internet revolutions of the 1980s and 1990s. This, in turn, launched much of our modern economy.

I am a scientist whose career has been organized around and benefited tremendously from robotic space exploration. Yet I can say with authority that no robotic space exploration mission has ever had such a powerful and pervasive impact as Kennedy sending Americans to explore another world.

Kennedys bold vision propelled science forward greatly. It determined how and when theEarth-Moon system was formed. Of even greater impact, it produced the first pictures of our fragile, blue marble Earth hanging in the deep blackness of space, launching an ecological awareness of our planet that still powerfully speaks to us six decades later.

President BidenJoe BidenThe Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Facebook - Biden to hit road, tout COVID-19 relief law Oregon senator takes center stage in Democratic filibuster debate This week: Democrats eye next step after coronavirus relief bill win MORE was first elected to the Senate during Apollo. To his credit, the president has already affirmed that his administration will continue NASAs Artemis program to send the first woman and the next man to the Moon. Moreover, Biden has signaled his innate grasp of what Kennedys Apollo accomplished and how space exploration can inspire on a larger scale by exhibiting a Moon rock in the Oval Office and by very publicly celebrating the recent accomplishment of NASAs Perseverance rovers landing on Mars.

But where will Biden take this nation in human space exploration? How can he brand his administration to be both as bold and effective in space as Kennedys administration was?

As with other Biden initiatives, like his Cancer Moonshot and green energy future, he can use space to inspire. In this daunting, pessimistic and divided time we may actually need space initiatives more today than even in the darkest days of the Cold War.

Biden should craft our human space exploration to project bold U.S. global leadership by sending men and women to do more than just visit, but to establish bases on these new frontiers. In doing so, he would no doubt launch a powerful new wave of science and engineering careers to fuel the nations tech economy for decades to come.

In this time when science and the scientific method is often under public attack, Biden can build space exploration back better, infusing this nations sense of its 21st century self and its progress to a brighter future that is both science-based and larger than life. He can show the world an America leading a historic pathway to the planets and even to the stars with a revitalized NASA and a whole of government approach that leverages what human space exploration and the scientific method can tangibly deliver and how they can intangibly inspire.

Such an approach would dovetail well with other administration goals, showcasing the diverse workforce creating our future in space and leveraging the innovation of the private sector in partnership with the government to send humans to far away worlds in ways that no other nation can.

In this time of pandemic despair, Biden has a historic opportunity to light a candle of hope for a brighter future both in space and here on Earth. Kennedy saw that connection between people here on Earth and people exploring space and he was right. That brighter future for human space exploration that Biden can launch could hold even greater economic, scientific, global domestic leadership and inspirational benefits than Apollo did, and for all humankind.

Dr. Alan Stern is a former NASA head of science, a former board chair of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, and a member of the National Science Board. His opinions here are his own.

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A moonshot to inspire: Building back better in space | TheHill - The Hill

China and Russia have agreed to jointly build a research station on or around the moon, setting the stage for a new space race.

The United States and the Soviet Union, followed by its successor state, Russia, have long dominated space exploration, putting the first astronauts in space and on the moon and later collaborating on the International Space Station that has been in orbit for two decades.

The joint announcement by China and Russia on Tuesday has the potential to scramble the geopolitics of space exploration, once again setting up competing programs and goals for the scientific and, potentially, commercial exploitation of the moon. This time, though, the main players will be the United States and China, with Russia as a supporting player.

In recent years, China has made huge advances in space exploration, putting its own astronauts in orbit and sending probes to the moon and to Mars. It has effectively drafted Russia as a partner in missions that it has already planned, outpacing a Russian program that has stalled in recent years.

In December, Chinas Change-5 mission brought back samples from the moons surface, which have gone on display with great fanfare in Beijing. That made China only the third nation, after the United States and the Soviet Union, to accomplish the feat. In the coming months, it is expected to send a lander and rover to the Martian surface, hard on the heels of NASAs Perseverance, which arrived there last month.

The two countries did not detail their joint projects nor set a timeline. According to a statement by the China National Space Administration, they agreed to use their accumulated experience in space science research and development and use of space equipment and space technology to jointly formulate a route map for the construction of an international lunar scientific research station.

A memorandum of understanding signed in a video conference on Tuesday by Zhang Kejian, the head of the Chinese space program, and his Russian counterpart, Dmitri O. Rogozin, referred to the Change-7 mission, a Chinese probe expected to be launched to the moons southern pole in 2024. Chinas lunar probes are named after a moon goddess of classical Chinese mythology.

For Russia, the agreement is a role reversal.

The Soviet Union initially led the first space race in the mid-20th century before falling behind the United States, which put the first man on the moon in 1969, a feat the Soviets never managed. After the Soviet Unions collapse, Russia became an important partner in the development of the International Space Station.

With NASA having retired the space shuttle in 2011, Russias Soyuz rockets were the only way to get to the International Space Station until SpaceX, a private company founded by the billionaire Elon Musk, sent astronauts into orbit on its own rocket last year.

China, by contrast, was never invited to the International Space Station, as American law prohibits NASA from cooperating with Beijing. That meant China had no choice but to set and pursue its own goals, said Joan S. Johnson-Freese, a professor of national security affairs at the United States Naval War College.

China has sent 11 astronauts into orbit since 2003 and built two smaller space stations, called Tiangong-1 and 2, that have since been decommissioned. Modules for a third station are scheduled for launch this year.

China pledged to keep the joint project with Russia open to all interested countries and international partners, as the statement put it, but it seemed all but certain to exclude the United States and its allies in space exploration.

The United States has its own plans to revisit the moon by 2024 through an international program called Artemis.

With Russia by its side, China could now draw in other countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America, establishing parallel programs for lunar development, said Namrata Goswami, an independent analyst and co-author of a new book on space exploration, Scramble for the Skies.

China has created an ideological narrative about its lunar base that offers its advanced space capacity as an asset to those who want to join in an alternative mechanism of lunar exploration and exploitation of resources, she said.

Claire Fu contributed research.

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China and Russia Agree to Explore the Moon Together - The New York Times

Floating in space watching your ship speed away rivals moments in Gravity or Interstellar and its one of the things that makes Outer Wilds among the best games ever made, says Jacob Aron

By Jacob Aron

A view of Timber Hearth, the home planet where Outer Wilds begins

Mobius Digital

Outer Wilds

Mobius Digital

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THE first few months of any year are a slow time for video game launches, but whether it is due to the pandemic or the recent release of next-generation consoles, new games are thin on the ground at the moment. That is why I spent this month checking out 2019s Outer Wilds and I am glad I did, because it is one of the best games ever made.

A bold claim, but hear me out. Outer Wilds is set in a miniature solar system filled with planets bearing evocative names such as Giants Deep and Brittle Hollow. As the newest member of Outer Wilds Ventures, an organisation that is as much a bunch of trail hikers as it is NASA, you set off to explore these worlds and in 22 minutes, the sun explodes in a supernova, wiping out you and everything else in the solar system.

Moments later, the game resets and you begin another 22-minute session. This time limit, combined with the small solar system, gives you space exploration without the boring bits. After launching your trusty spacecraft, you can be walking on the surface of another planet within minutes. At the same time, everything operates under more-or-less realistic orbital mechanics, making space flight a challenge of matching orbits and velocities you cant just point at your destination and go.

I spent my first few runs getting to grips with the controls, which allow you to thrust in either direction along all three spatial axes, and more than once found myself falling into the sun, triggering an early reset. Yet little by little, I mastered my ship and was soon merrily exploring.

There are no new abilities to unlock as you play the only thing you gain is knowledge

I am deliberately avoiding saying much about what I found because Outer Wilds is about the joy of discovering things for yourself: it really is everything you could want from a space-exploration game. To give you a flavour, during my playthrough, I fell into a black hole, docked with a mysterious space station and landed on a comet, before falling off again.

But not all in a single go. Your ships computer records your discoveries, linking them together like a corkboard with strings. This doesnt reset, allowing you to uncover the games many mysteries over a number of runs. There are no new abilities to unlock as you play the only thing you gain is knowledge, so you could theoretically complete Outer Wilds in your first 22 minutes.

The result is that the game is full of aha! moments that are both incredibly satisfying and make you feel very clever, but it is also mechanically brilliant. Launching your spacecraft at the start of a run is always a tiny thrill as you rumble into orbit. Your spacesuit has limited oxygen and fuel, making it essential to manage your resources. If you run out of fuel, you can use oxygen as propellant in a last-ditch effort to get to safety.

This comes together to generate moments that easily rival Gravity or Interstellar. At one point, I was floating around a planet, separated from my ship, which was orbiting another planet.

I could see the ship was heading away from me, and doubted I would be able to catch up with my remaining fuel. Instead, I pulled open my map of the solar system so I could estimate when the two planets would have their closest approach. Timing things just right, I jetted off for what I thought would be a daring rendezvous. For a moment, it seemed like I was on course until I smashed into a moon, cracked my helmet and died. Thankfully, the next run was just a moment away.

Games

The Witness

Thekla

PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, iOS

The Witness is full of mysteries. Set on an island split into regions, each locale puts its own spin on grid-based logic puzzles. It is gorgeous, but extremely mentally taxing.

No Mans Sky

Hello Games

PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

No Mans Sky offers billions of procedurally generated worlds. This can make them feel samey, but the latest update lets you collect alien pets.

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Why Outer Wilds is a space-exploration game that's worth dying in - New Scientist News

Imagine running on a cement footpath, and then suddenly through dry sand. Just to keep upright, you would have to slow down and change the way you run. In the same way, a walking robot would have to change its gait to handle different surfaces.

Generally, we humans and most robots can only change how we run. But what if we could also change the shape of our bodies to run as fast and safely as possible on any surface?

We would like to rely on robots for difficult and dangerous tasks, from inspecting failed nuclear reactors to space exploration. For these tasks, a static body could limit the robots adaptability. A shape-shifting body could make the difference between success and failure in these unexpected environments. Even better, a shape-shifting robot could learn the best body shape for different environments and adapt to new environments as it encounters them.

In collaboration with the University of Oslo, we have successfully tested this idea with a four-legged robot that adapts its body to walk on new surfaces as it sees them, performing better than a static-body robot. Our research is published in Nature Machine Intelligence.

DyRET, the Dynamic Robot for Embodied Testing, or the animal in the Norwegian of its creator, Tnnes Nygaard, was designed to explore the idea of a shape-shifting robot. Each of DyRETs four legs has two telescopic sections, so that it can change the length of its thigh or shin bones. The adjustments are made by motors built into the legs and the lengths can be changed automatically while the robot is operating.

The motors can change the height of DyRET by around 20%, from 60cm to 73cm tall. That 13cm makes a dramatic difference to the robots walk. With short legs, DyRET is stable but slow, with a low centre of gravity. In its tallest mode, DyRET is more unstable while it walks but its stride is much longer, allowing it to travel faster and to step over obstacles.

DyRET also has sensors to keep track of what its walking on. Each of DyRETs feet has a force sensor that can feel how hard the ground is. A 3D camera points at the ground between DyRETs front legs to estimate how rough the ground is.

When DyRET is walking, it continuously senses the environment through its feet and 3D camera. When the robot detects a change in ground conditions, it can change to the best leg length. But how does the robot know what body shape works best?

We explored two ways for DyRET to learn the best leg configuration for different situations: a controlled environment, indoors with known surfaces, and a real-world test outside.

In our controlled tests, DyRET walked inside boxes about 5 metres long containing different walking surfaces: sand, gravel, and hard fibre-cement sheeting. The robot walked on each material in each of 25 different leg configurations to record the efficiency of its movement. Given this data, we tested the robots ability to automatically sense a change in the walking surface within the boxes, and to choose the best body shape.

While our controlled experiments showed DyRET could adapt its body successfully to surfaces it had walked on before, the real world is a much more variable and unpredictable place. We showed this method could be extended to unseen terrain by estimating the best body-shape for any surface that the robot encounters.

Read more: How do robots 'see' the world?

In our outdoor experiments, DyRET used a machine learning model, seeded with knowledge about the best leg configuration for a given combination of terrain hardness and roughness taken from the controlled tests. As the robot walks, it continuously predicts the best body shape for the terrain as it encounters it, while updating its model with measurements of how well it can walk. In our experiments, DyRETs predictions improve as it walks, allowing it to quickly generate efficient movements, even for terrain it hasnt seen before.

DyRET explores the idea of embodied cognition in a robot: that is, that a robots hardware body can be used to solve problems in collaboration with its software brain by tightly linking them to the environment. Instead of DyRETs body being a constraint on its movement, it is itself an adaptive way of solving problems in challenging environments.

This is incredibly beneficial, especially when we cant predict the exact environmental conditions beforehand, which makes picking a single good robot shape very challenging. Instead, these robots would adapt to a wide variety of environmental conditions through shape-change.

Our proof of concept has powerful implications for the future of robotic design, unlocking currently impossible environments that are very challenging and variable. Future shape-shifting robots might be used on the sea floor, or for long-term missions in space.

Read more: Were teaching robots to evolve autonomously so they can adapt to life alone on distant planets

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Shape-shifting robots in the wild: the DyRET robot can rearrange its body to walk in new environments - The Conversation AU

China and Russia are joining forces to build an international space station on the moon.

Leaders from both countries' space programs earlier this week signed an agreement for the joint construction of what they call the International Scientific Lunar Station a complex of experimental research facilities located on the surface or in the orbit of the moon.

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A memorandum of understanding on the project was signed by Dmitry Rogozin, general director of Russias Roscosmos State Corporation, and Zhang Kejian, head of Chinas National Space Administration, on Tuesday.

The two countries said they will use their collective experience in space research to develop a roadmap for the construction of the lunar base. Details of what the proposed station will look like are not clear at this time.

The International Lunar Research Station is a comprehensive scientific experiment base that can carry out multi-disciplinary and multi-objective scientific research activities such as the moon's own exploration and utilization, moon-based observation, basic scientific experiment and technical verification on the lunar surface or lunar orbit, and long-term autonomous operation, the Chinese National Space Administration said Tuesday.

Russias space agency said in a statement the complex will support a variety of research experiments, with the possibility of long-term unmanned operation with the prospect of human presence on the moon.

The research station will be open to all interested countries and international partners in an effort to strengthen research cooperation and promote space exploration for peaceful purposes in the interests of all mankind, Chinas space agency said.

The move marks Beijings latest push to explore the moon alongside rivals such as NASA, which is prohibited from working with China under a 2011 law. China is looking to carry out crewed missions to the moon by the 2030s. If successful it would be only the second country to put a human on the lunar surface behind the U.S.

The agreement also suggests Russia, which has had a decades-long relationship with NASA on the International Space Station (ISS), sees its future in space exploration primarily as a cooperative effort with China.

NASA has secured agreements with nine other countries to participate in the U.S. Artemis program. The program is aiming to carry out humanitys return to the moon with plans to send astronauts to the lunar surface over the next decade to establish a long-term, sustainable human presence.

While the U.S. and Russia have had a long collaborative relationship in their space exploration efforts, Russia is not among the countries participating in the U.S. lunar program.

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China and Russia will build space station on moon together, snubbing NASA | TheHill - The Hill

Enlarge / Artist concept of the Space Launch System.

Update: After this story was published, NASA released the following statement at 11pm ET on Monday regarding the internal study:

NASA is conducting an internal study of the timing and sequence of lunar missions with available resources, and with the guidance that SLS and Orion will be providing crew transportation to the Gateway. The backbone for NASAs Moon to Mars plans are the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, ground systems at Kennedy Space Center, Gateway in lunar orbit and human landing system. We currently are alsoassessing various elements of our programs to find efficiencies andopportunities to reduce costs, and this exercise is ongoing.This will include conversations with our industry partners.Budget forecasts and internal agency reviews are common practice as they help us with long-term planning.The agency anticipates taking full advantage of the powerful SLS capabilities, and this effort will improve the current construct associated with executing the development, production and operations of the NASAs Artemis missions.

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Original story: NASA is conducting an internal review of the Space Launch System rocket's affordability, two sources have told Ars Technica.

Concerned by the program's outsized costs, the NASA transition team appointed by President Joe Biden initiated the study.The analysis is being led by Paul McConnaughey, a former deputy center director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, as well as its chief engineer.

The SLS rocket program has been managed by Marshall for more than a decade. Critics have derided it as a "jobs program" intended to retain employees at key centers, such as Alabama-based Marshall, as well as those at primary contractors such as Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Aerojet Rocketdyne. Such criticism has been bolstered by frequent schedule delaysthe SLS was originally due to launch in 2016, and the rocket will now launch no sooner than 2022as well as cost overruns.

For now, costs seem to be the driving factor behind the White House's concerns. With a maximum cadence of one launch per year, the SLS rocket is expected to cost more than $2 billion per flight, and that is on top of the $20 billion NASA has already spent developing the vehicle and its ground systems. Some of the incoming officials do not believe the Artemis Moon Program is sustainable with such launch costs.

McConnaughey is leading the study for Kathy Lueders, NASA's chief of human spaceflight. Even before the study's initiation, McConnaughey had been pushing for the SLS program to become more cost-effective. One goal of this analysis is to find ways for the large NASA rocket to compete effectively with privately developed rockets as part of the agency's Artemis Moon program.

For example, although SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket does not have as much lift capacity as the SLS rocket, it has the advantage of being already in use and costing about one-tenth as much per flight. Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance are also developing heavy-lift rockets that are intended to deliver components of a Human Landing System to lunar orbit.

Perhaps most significantly, SpaceX is continuing a flight test campaign of its Starship Launch System, which may make its first orbital flight in the next 12 months. This is a launch vehicle that could potentially out-lift the SLS rocket, be reusable, and cost a fraction of the price. If SpaceX succeeds in getting Starship into orbit, there would be little technical justification for continuing government subsidization of the less capable SLS booster, which is expendable and costs much, much more.

Proponents of the SLS rocket are not blind to this. Some believe SpaceX will not succeed with its Starship program, and indeed myriad technical challenges remain. Others think NASA could find ways of making the SLS rocket more competitive, and that is one point of this study.

Another reason for the new analysis, however, is to assess whether NASA really needs the SLS rocket at all as part of the Artemis Program. Already, companies are planning to deliver the lunar lander to the Moon with private rockets. The main job left for the SLS rocket is launching Orion, with crew, to the Moon. Launching Orion may also be doable with private rockets, or the crew could simply launch on SpaceX's Starship, obviating the need for Orion itself.

Although the Biden administration has committed to continuing the Artemis Program started under President Donald Trump, it has other priorities for the space agency, particularly ramping up Earth science activities to better understand climate change. If the Office of Management and Budget no longer needs to spend $3 billion annually to "develop" the SLS rocket and its ground systems, the White House will at least look at the possibility.

One initial step may involve slowing or ending work on an upgrade for the SLS rocket, sources indicated. After NASA completes the first iteration of the Space Launch System rocket, the plan is to upgrade it to "Block 1B," the main part of which is an upgraded second stage. This piece of hardware is known as the Exploration Upper Stage. In the FY 2021 budget bill, Congress provided $400 million for development of this stage.

However, some senior NASA officials would like to at least pause work on this upper stage. To them, it is premature to work on an upgraded rocket while the first version of the SLS rocket is yet unproven, especially if Biden space officials determine the SLS rocket will only play a limited role in future exploration plans. One source said Biden White House may seek to fly SLS only a handful of times, halt work on the Exploration Upper Stage, and plan the future of Artemis around commercial launch vehicles.

All of this remains in flux, however, and the US Congress will have a big say in whatever the future of NASA's deep-space exploration programs hold.

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NASA has begun a study of the SLS rockets affordability [Updated] - Ars Technica

One small Canadian built computer can make a world of difference in the amount of science done during the first wave of commercial exploration missions on the Moon.

OTTAWA, Ontario (PRWEB) March 15, 2021

Mission Control Space Services Inc. (Mission Control) is pleased to announce a $1.16M contribution award from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to develop and commercialize a novel computing system for Lunar missions. This technology development funding is part of the CSAs Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program and is intended to help Mission Control enter the supply chains of companies offering commercial Lunar missions. In this project, Mission Control will develop a dedicated flight computer that can be easily installed on Lunar spacecraft to manage data from multiple payloads and offer edge computing.

In the emerging commercial space exploration sector, landers will deliver multiple payloads to the Lunar surface, each with different and potentially conflicting priorities and operational needs. Large amounts of data could be left behind on the Moon due to constrained data transfer rates. Mission Controls payload data management system will offer dynamic quality of service with end-to-end data security such that operators receive the right data at the right time to meet their mission objectives.

A dedicated flight computer managing data and adding computational power will drastically improve the payload customers experience, commented Kaizad Raimalwala, Product Manager of the Payload Data Management System.

On the ground, Mission Control Software, a near real-time, cloud-based software suite can be coupled with the onboard payload data management to provide an end-to-end system to streamline operations.

Were grateful to the CSA for this opportunity, said Ewan Reid, CEO of Mission Control. This funding goes towards our core R&D and helps us continue to engage with American and international companies paving the way for Canadian participation in the cis-Lunar economy.

The project will culminate in a demonstration of the entire system in a high-fidelity mission scenario at our indoor Lunar test facility in 2022. Following this demonstration, Mission Control aims to launch the product for missions as early as 2023. Beyond streamlining the user experience during the mission itself, this off-the-shelf product will also help reduce mission development costs and risk.

Were very excited to offer this system to ultimately help payload scientists and operators maximize the value and science return of their payloads, said Dr. Melissa Battler, Chief Science Officer of Mission Control. One small Canadian built computer can make a world of difference in the amount of science done during the first wave of commercial exploration missions on the Moon.

About Mission Control, https://www.missioncontrolspaceservices.com/ Mission Control is a space exploration and robotics company with a focus on mission operations, onboard autonomy and artificial intelligence. We develop end-to-end robotic command and control software. Our technology allows customers to operate and automate systems deployed in harsh and remote environments like Mars, the Moon, or even here on Earth improving the autonomy, productivity, safety, and scientific return of missions. We are also committed to inspiring the next generation of explorers through our immersive technology-based education program, Mission Control Academy, which allows students to operate a real rover, as if it were on Mars. How can we help you navigate the newspace landscape?

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Mission Control Awarded $1.16M from Canadian Space Agency to Develop Payload Data Management System for Streamlining Operations in Lunar Missions - PR...