This is Homer’s second time winning the contest. Homer’s first win in 2007 launched his startup, Flagsuit. Flagsuit is developing pressure suits using the same technology as Homer’s prizewinning gloves — for use as a wearable substitute for hyperbaric chambers used to treat conditions such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, stroke and autism. Down the line, Homer plans to target the the space tourism industry, which Homer sees growing in the next two years.
Texas-based Ad Astra Rocket Co. tested a prototype of its VASIMR VX-200 plasma rocket last week. The rocket, running at 1.8 million degrees, is a larger version of the plasma rocket MIT researcher Oleg Batishchev developed for satellites to position themselves. NASA plans to test the argon gas-powered rocket on the International Space Station in 2013 in anticipation of using it for a mission to Mars.
Ad Astra CEO/former astronaut/MIT alum/father of state senator Sonia Chang-Diaz Franklin Chang-Diaz developed the technology. The rocket would cut down the amount of fuel needed for a mission, and shorten the trip to Mars to 39 days.
After the jump, watch more video of the rocket, plus the plasma rocket Batishchev made out of a Coke bottle and a Coke can.
NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory is a telescope orbiting the earth and controlled from a building within walking distance of Paddy’s Lunch. Despite that, the Harvard-run satellite is tracking down X-ray emissions exploded stars, galaxy clusters and the areas surrounding black holes.
Harvard’s Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, which operates the telescope, has released detailed images and video of the Milky Way. The image above is actually a mosaic of 88 separate “pictures” taken by the telescope. Check out the observatory web site for all kind of interactive animations and high-resolution images.
The University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory just releasedhigh-resolution images of the surface of Mars taken from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Tufts chemistry professor Sam Kounaves is in Tucson, at the University of Arizona, doing close-up research on the soil that makes up that surface from NASA’s Phoenix lander mission last year. Kounaves wet-chemical analysis found the soil on the Red Planet shared many characteristics with soil on earth.
Ad Astra Rocket Co. has developed an ion rocket that could shorten the trip to Mars to 39 days.
Aside from simply being a snazzy rocket you could use to fly to Mars, the technology also has a provincial Bostonian angle. Ad Astra is based in Texas, but its CEO, Franklin Chang-Diaz, is an MIT alum and former astronaut whose daughter, state senator Sonia Chang Diaz, defeated her scandal-plagued predecessor, Dianne Wilkerson, in last fall’s election.
MIT researcher Oleg Batishchev, whose Mini-Helicon Plasma Thruster is based on the elder Chang-Diaz’ technology, called the Ad Astra rocket a Ferrari, while his plasma thruster, intended for steering satellites, is an ecnomical hybrid.
To demonstrate his thruster ’s simplicity, Bathshchev and his team made a version of his rocket out of a Coke bottle and a Coke can. After the jump, watch video of the bottle/can rocket. (more…)
Boston Scientific’s way up, VC deals are way down, and Epix is down and out in today’s NewsFlash roundup. Also, News editor Rodney Brown drops by Draper Lab’s Apollo 11 anniversary party.
The Natick-based manufacturer of medical devices had revenue of $2.07 billion in the second quarter of this year, up slightly from $2.02 billion in the second quarter of 2008. Net income increased to $158 million from $98 million a year earlier.
The Lexington-based company’s officials said that the company was unable to raise enough money or enter into a partnership in time and that it has entered into an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors. The purpose of the Assignment is to conclude the company’s operations and provide for an orderly liquidation of its assets.
Numbers reported this morning by the NVCA and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP were considerably less optimistic, showing $3.7 million invested over 612 deals. While Dow Jones analysts predicted a “rebound” in the venture investing sector, the NVCA says figures for the full year will most likely reflect a setback to 1996 and 1997 levels of $11 billion to $14 billion. (more…)
The MIT Media Lab’s Joost Bonsen saysRobonauts, rather than astronauts, will do the heavy lifting as humans make more advances into space.
In the spring, I reported on Cambridge-based Energid, which is developing the software to control the Robonaut, and to simulate robotic moon landings, for NASA. After the jump, watch video of the company’s Robonaut-operating software. (more…)
So far, there’s not a lot happening on the site, other than the countdown to launch. Starting at 9:32 this morning — 40 years to the minute from the launch — you can follow the events of the launch on the site and at threetwitterfeeds. Aside from dinner with the president, so far the tweets aren’t much more exciting than the tweets of anybody else who may or may not be pretending to visit the moon:
Preparation for first lunar landing still on schedule.
3:54 PM Jun 27th from web
Apollo Program director just approved color TV coverage of our flight.
11:38 AM Jun 13th from web
Still stuffed from last night.
9:34 AM Jun 11th from web
Dining at White House tonight with crew from Apollo 10. And the President.
9:34 AM Jun 11th from web
Neil, Buzz and Mike are ready to go the Moon.
9:34 AM Jun 11th from web
T-Minus 36 days 22 hours to launch.
9:00 AM Jun 9th from web
The Globe talks to astronaut and MIT and UMass Amherst alumna Catherine Coleman, who will spend six months on the International Space Station next year. Coleman, NASA’s chief of robotics for the astronaut office, was in town last week for MIT’s Giant Leaps conference.
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