Browsed by
Tag: NextGeneration

NASA Next-Generation Solar Sail Boom Technology Ready for Launch

NASA Next-Generation Solar Sail Boom Technology Ready for Launch

Sailing through space might sound like something out of science fiction, but the concept is no longer limited to books or the big screen. In April, a next-generation solar sail technology – known as the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System – will launch aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from the company’s Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand. The technology could advance future space travel and expand our understanding of our Sun and solar system.  

Solar sails use the pressure of sunlight for propulsion, angling toward or away from the Sun so that photons bounce off the reflective sail to push a spacecraft. This eliminates heavy propulsion systems and could enable longer duration and lower-cost missions. Although mass is reduced, solar sails have been limited by the material and structure of the booms, which act much like a sailboat’s mast. But NASA is about to change the sailing game for

… Read more
IBM Debuts Next-Generation Quantum Processor & IBM Quantum System Two, Extends Roadmap to Advance Era of Quantum Utility Dec 4, 2023

IBM Debuts Next-Generation Quantum Processor & IBM Quantum System Two, Extends Roadmap to Advance Era of Quantum Utility Dec 4, 2023

New Computer Technology

At some point in the coming decade, we’ll need to make the jump to a new technology, and the smart money’s on graphene. That changeover is going to seriously shake up the status quo of the computer industry, and make and lose a lot of fortunes. It’s very likely that in a few decades we may find ourselves back here again, debating what new technology is going to take over, now that we’ve reached the limits of graphene. The first problem was solved when electronics giant Samsung announced that its research arm had discovered a way to mass produce whole graphene crystals with high purity. The issue is that, while graphene’s extreme conductivity makes it attractive from a heat perspective, it’s also annoying when you want to make transistors – devices that are intended to stop conducting billions of times a second.

  • Ethereum plans to transition to the system this
… Read more