Grand plans for asteroid mining unveiled by Planetary Resources

Grand plans for asteroid mining unveiled by Planetary Resources  “I’m Chris Lewicki, and I’m an asteroid miner!” These were the opening words spoken by the President and Chief Engineer of Planetary Resources Inc., as the asteroid mining company emerged from three years of silent running to outline its plans to begin mining Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) within the decade. Grand plans for asteroid mining unveiled by Planetary Resources Grand plans for asteroid mining unveiled by Planetary Resources Grand plans for asteroid mining unveiled by Planetary Resources Grand plans for as

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VP-400 emergency system gets pilots to a safe landing

VP-400 emergency system gets pilots to a safe landing   Imagine that you are flying along in your own aircraft when, suddenly, the engine stops and you are not able to revive it. Now what? VP-400 emergency system gets pilots to a safe landing VP-400 emergency system gets pilots to a safe landing VP-400 emergency system gets pilots to a safe landing VP-400 emergency system gets pilots to a safe landing  If you have plenty of altitude, you can hit the button on that expensive aviation-dedicated GPS that will produce a list of the closest airports (not necessarily th

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SpaceX test-fires launch vehicle's engines for upcoming mission

SpaceX test-fires launch vehicle's engines for upcoming mission  Private space exploration company SpaceX is currently looking towards May 7th as the rescheduled date for its Dragon space capsule to lift off from Earth, on an unmanned Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) demo mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station. Today, the company performed a static fire test of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle’s nine Merlin engines. The test took place at SpaceX’s Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and was part of a full dress rehearsal f

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Flexrotor vertical take-off and landing UAV enters second phase of development

Flexrotor vertical take-off and landing UAV enters second phase of development  In an attempt to combine the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities of a helicopter, with the speed, range and altitude capabilities of a fixed wing aircraft, tiltrotor aircraft, such as the AgustaWestland AW609 and the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey rely on powered rotors mounted on rotating shafts or nacelles at the end of a fixed wing. But the tiltrotor design isn’t the only option for aircraft looking to get the best of both worlds. Like Aerovironment’s SkyTote, the Flexrotor is designed to transitio

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Volta Volaré's futuristic GT4 e-hybrid airplane available for order

Volta Volaré's futuristic GT4 e-hybrid airplane available for order   Volta Volaré has begun taking orders for its four-seater GT4 hybrid private aircraft it calls "the most technologically advanced private aircraft available anywhere on Earth." Though the GT4 is perfectly capable of taking off and flying powered only electrically, a gas engine starts when the airplane's battery drops to 25 percent capacity in order to recharge it mid-flight. Surprisingly, perhaps, Volta Volaré makes a strong economic case for the GT4. Because the powertrain has only one moving part - the motor or

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Jetman buzzes the lush Rio de Janeiro coast

Jetman buzzes the lush Rio de Janeiro coast   He's launched over the Grand Canyon. He's flown alongside traditional aircraft. He's even attempted to leap across continents. Now "Jetman" and all-around airborne lunatic Yves Rossy is giving us a tour of the beautiful Rio de Janeiro shoreline by way of his carbon fiber jet wing. Jetman buzzes the lush Rio de Janeiro coast Jetman buzzes the lush Rio de Janeiro coast Jetman buzzes the lush Rio de Janeiro coast Jetman buzzes the lush Rio de Janeiro coast Jetman buzzes the lush Rio de Janeiro coast Jetman buzz

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New 3D sensor should help UAVs avoid fender-benders

New 3D sensor should help UAVs avoid fender-benders   Hovering unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – most of which take the form of quadrocopters – are currently being developed for a wide range of applications. Some of these include the delivery of supplies to remote locations, urban reconnaissance, and military operations. Whether they’re flying solo or in organized swarms, however, they constantly need to be aware of potential collision hazards, both mobile and stationary. While various technologies are already being utilized for this purpose, Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Micr

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