Hydrogen-Powered Eye in the Sky
Boeing launched the second test of its new hydrogen-powered surveillance drone late last month. Dubbed The Phantom Eye, the unmanned craft could be used for search and rescue and disaster relief applications, too. Continue reading
Tesla’s Elon Musk Knocks Dreamliner Batteries
Boeing is frantically trying to save face in the wake of several electrical failures and at least one fire on several of its its much ballyhooed 787 Dreamliner airliners. Authorities in the U.S. and Japan are currently investigating the fires, and now one of the world’s best known inventors has chimed in by criticizing the battery technology onboard the planes.
Successful Test of CHAMP Missile
I expect most Engineering on the Edge readers are old enough to remember GoldenEye. For those who don’t remember the flick (or didn’t see it), the plot revolves around a weapon that is capable of using electromagnetic pulses to destroy electronic equipment. Now, science fiction once more becomes science fact with the successful test launch of the CHAMP missile. Minus the femme fatales.
Boeing’s CHAMP missile (Counter-electronics High-powered Advanced Missile Project) uses high power microwaves in place of GoldenEye’s electromagnetic pulses, but the end result is the same. The microwaves knock out electronic devices without causing any collateral damage or inflicting casualties in the target area. Continue reading
Commercial “Space Taxis” Rack Up Funding
As noted previously, Curiosity’s landing on Mars is an amazing feat of engineering and another step forward for the exploration of space. In this period of monetary woes, some people have questioned whether the funding used for Curiosity might have been better spent elsewhere. I’m not going to say the $2.5 billion cost was cheap, but compare that to the approximately $14.4 billion spent on the 2012 Olympics and it might not seem quite as bad.
NASA’s cash flow has seen a steady decline since the heady days of the Apollo program, leading to the current plan of using commercial entities for manned trips to the International Space Station (ISS) and other such near-Earth jaunts. Currently, the U.S. is forced to rely on the Russians for travel to the ISS at the cost of $60 million a passenger. While that might seem expensive, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the nearly $1 billion per shuttle mission.
SpaceX Launch Delayed; Boeing Set for 2016 Test Launch
The planned SpaceX COTS launch scheduled for April 30 has been delayed until May 7 while SpaceX completes more hardware-in-the-loop testing.
The April 30 date was set after the completion of NASA’s flight readiness review. This was to be the second SpaceX demonstration launch for the space agency’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon capsule will launch from Cape Canaveral, conduct a series of testing procedures, and then rendezvous and berth with the International Space Station (ISS).
After SpaceX announced the delay, NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, William Gerstenmaier, issued a statement: Continue reading
- Highlights from the NAFEMS World Congress 2013
- Design for Assembly Software Updated
- Editor’s Pick: Design for Assembly Software Updated
- Siemens to Integrate Altair HyperWorks
- iBASEt Introduces Integration Package for Creo and Windchill
- Rasterex Releases RxView and RxHighlight R14.1
- Mechatronic Integration for Wiring Harness Development and Manufacture
- SEAL Swim Band Team Dives Into Pool of Design Challenges
- PTC Live Global 2013: This is Your Car, Reminding You to Change Oil
- Intel Haswell Signals Shifting Focus with Mobile Readiness and Power Efficiency
- COMSOL Multiphysics 4.3b Introduces Single-Window Integration with Inventor and Excel, Five New Modules
- Dassault Acquires Apriso to Stake Out Manufacturing Operations Turf
- Additive Manufacturing Produces Microbatteries
- MIT 3D Prints Bone
- Amazon Launches 3D Printer Sales Department
- Autodesk’s Tinkercad Deal: A Boon to 3D Printer Adoption?
- Optomec Launches LENS 450 Metal 3D Printer
- Rapid 2013 Day 2: The State of the Additive Manufacturing Industry
- Multi Proto Lab Debuts at RAPID 2013