On November 18th 2014, A German company, Sunfire GmbH, announced that it had created a machine that can turn water and carbon dioxide into synthetic fossil fuels. The machine uses Power-to-Liquids technology to reassemble hydrogen and carbon molecules into synthetic petrol, diesel, and kerosene.
Sunfire GmbH used a technique that was based on the Fischer-Tropsch process that was developed in 1925. They also used solid oxide electrolyser cells to turn water into steam. The oxygen was then removed from the steam leaving only the hydrogen. Then carbon dioxide that was either harvested from the atmosphere, precipitated at biogas facilities, or retrieved by using waste gas processing, was converted into carbon monoxide.
The hydrogen and carbon monoxide was then synthesized into high purity fuels using Power-to-Liquids technology. The remaining excess heat was then used to create more steam, there by perpetuating the process. Sunfire GmbH says that this ensures an efficiency rate of 70%.
The machine, at this point is only for demonstration and feasibility purposes. It has a capacity for recycling Co2 at a rate of about 3.2 tons per ton of fuel created and the ability to create one barrel of fuel per day.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Lunar Mission One
On November 19th 2014, it was announced that a Kickstarter campaign had begun for Lunar Mission One. Lunar Mission One is the brain child of a UK based team called Lunar Missions LTD. the project plans to bury a time capsule containing digital memory boxes at the moon's south pole.
Lunar Mission One will be in two parts, a public and a private archive. An unmanned robotic lander will be sent to the moon to drill the rock at it's southern pole region. Scientist will have a chance to explore a previously unexplored area of rock that could date back to the beginning of the solar system, some 4.5 billion years ago. The time capsule will be laid after several months of drilling.
The Kickstarter campaign raised $313,000 in its first 24 hours and has managed to garner $500,000 as of November 26th, 2014. The goal is to raise $950,000 by December 18th, 2014. Minimum pledges are set at $1.50, but for $94 or more anyone can reserve a space in the public archive. The expected launch of Lunar Mission One is 2024.
Lunar Mission One will be in two parts, a public and a private archive. An unmanned robotic lander will be sent to the moon to drill the rock at it's southern pole region. Scientist will have a chance to explore a previously unexplored area of rock that could date back to the beginning of the solar system, some 4.5 billion years ago. The time capsule will be laid after several months of drilling.
The Kickstarter campaign raised $313,000 in its first 24 hours and has managed to garner $500,000 as of November 26th, 2014. The goal is to raise $950,000 by December 18th, 2014. Minimum pledges are set at $1.50, but for $94 or more anyone can reserve a space in the public archive. The expected launch of Lunar Mission One is 2024.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Google's YouTube Music Key Becomes Reality
On November 17th 2014 the long rumored music streaming service from Google became a reality, as Google announced the release of its YouTube Music Key. The streaming service is being offered both as an ad supported version and an ad free subscription version.
The ad sponsored version, YouTube Music, will now offer not only your favorite songs but will allow users to stream full albums. After finalizing deals with the major labels, YouTube Music now has access to an extensive catalog of music that reaches across a wide array of genres. If there is a video for a particular song, the clip will play as usual. If the song doesn't have a video, then the listener will watch an "Art Track," which is simply a clip of the album art for that particular song.
The ad free subscription version, YouTube Music Key, is being offered right now for a promotional price of $7.99 per month. The regular price will be $9.99 per month. Subscribers will also get access to YouTube's extensive catalog of songs, but will get the added benefit of being able to store there favorite tracks on their smart phones, for offline playback. But wait, there's more. YouTube Music Key subscribers will also get a membership to Google Play Music, its music only subscription service.
YouTube Music Key is currently in beta. You can ask for an invitation, and if you're lucky enough to get one, you will be able to try YouTube Music Key free for six months.
The ad sponsored version, YouTube Music, will now offer not only your favorite songs but will allow users to stream full albums. After finalizing deals with the major labels, YouTube Music now has access to an extensive catalog of music that reaches across a wide array of genres. If there is a video for a particular song, the clip will play as usual. If the song doesn't have a video, then the listener will watch an "Art Track," which is simply a clip of the album art for that particular song.
The ad free subscription version, YouTube Music Key, is being offered right now for a promotional price of $7.99 per month. The regular price will be $9.99 per month. Subscribers will also get access to YouTube's extensive catalog of songs, but will get the added benefit of being able to store there favorite tracks on their smart phones, for offline playback. But wait, there's more. YouTube Music Key subscribers will also get a membership to Google Play Music, its music only subscription service.
YouTube Music Key is currently in beta. You can ask for an invitation, and if you're lucky enough to get one, you will be able to try YouTube Music Key free for six months.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Lytro's Light Field Tech
On November 6th 2014, Lytro announced that it would open up its light field technology for development by other companies. Many companies have been quick to jump on board including NASA and the Department of Defense. The new Lytro Development Kit or LDK is expected to license for $20,000 annually.
Lytro's light field technology is used in cameras and allows the user to manipulate the focus of a photograph after the shot has been taken. It does this by using a light field sensor that senses the direction from which the light is traveling relative to the shot, rather than capturing the light from a single plane. Using the additional software, a user can pivot the shot around for a 3D effect or alter the focus.
Lytro released its first light field camera in 2011. Since then it has become a huge hit within the photographic and scientific communities. The camera uses a megaray sensor rather than megapixels for its source of resolution. The technology has great potential for 3D gaming. NASA, however hopes to incorporate the technology into its planetary rovers and other space missions. The Department of Defense is eying the technology's use in it's Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate.
Lytro's light field technology is used in cameras and allows the user to manipulate the focus of a photograph after the shot has been taken. It does this by using a light field sensor that senses the direction from which the light is traveling relative to the shot, rather than capturing the light from a single plane. Using the additional software, a user can pivot the shot around for a 3D effect or alter the focus.
Lytro released its first light field camera in 2011. Since then it has become a huge hit within the photographic and scientific communities. The camera uses a megaray sensor rather than megapixels for its source of resolution. The technology has great potential for 3D gaming. NASA, however hopes to incorporate the technology into its planetary rovers and other space missions. The Department of Defense is eying the technology's use in it's Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Rosetta's Rendezvous With History
On November 12th 2014, the Rosetta spacecraft will attempt to make history by deploying its lander, Philae, onto the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The $1.6 billion mission will provide humanity with its first glimpse of the physical make up of a comet.
On November 4 2014, the European Space Agency announced that the landing site on comet 67P, formally known as Site J, had been renamed, Agilkia, which is the name of an island in the Nile river.
The landing is scheduled to begin at 8:35am on November 12th and it is expected to take Philae 7 hours to reach the comets surface. Confirmation of the lander's touchdown is expected to be about 4:00 pm. While Philae descends it will take pictures and perform experiments.
Once Philae lands, it will begin another series of experiments that may help in unraveling the composition of comets. A drill will take tiny pieces of comet into the lander where they will be tested by several devices. A gas chromatograph mass spectrometer will analyze the ratios of the different isotopes of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and other elements found on comet P67. The Rosetta spacecraft will monitor all of Philae's activities while it orbits comet P67.
Scientists are hopeful that they will find evidence of amino acids, which are the building blocks of life. If so, it will confirm that comets brought those building blocks to the Earth. Other experiments may confirm that comets also brought water to the Earth. Proof of both could mean that life did indeed come from space.
On November 4 2014, the European Space Agency announced that the landing site on comet 67P, formally known as Site J, had been renamed, Agilkia, which is the name of an island in the Nile river.
The landing is scheduled to begin at 8:35am on November 12th and it is expected to take Philae 7 hours to reach the comets surface. Confirmation of the lander's touchdown is expected to be about 4:00 pm. While Philae descends it will take pictures and perform experiments.
Once Philae lands, it will begin another series of experiments that may help in unraveling the composition of comets. A drill will take tiny pieces of comet into the lander where they will be tested by several devices. A gas chromatograph mass spectrometer will analyze the ratios of the different isotopes of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and other elements found on comet P67. The Rosetta spacecraft will monitor all of Philae's activities while it orbits comet P67.
Scientists are hopeful that they will find evidence of amino acids, which are the building blocks of life. If so, it will confirm that comets brought those building blocks to the Earth. Other experiments may confirm that comets also brought water to the Earth. Proof of both could mean that life did indeed come from space.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Tractor Beam Becomes Reality
On October 19th 2014, scientist at the Australian National University announced that they had created a reversible tractor beam. Dr. Vladlen Shevdov and Dr. Cyril Hnatovsky say that they have created a long range optical tractor beam that uses a hollow laser.
The tractor beam is capable of moving particles that are one fifth of a millimeter in size, a distance of 20 centimeter, which is 100 times further than any previous experiment. The ANU tractor beam uses the energy of the laser to heat up particles and the air around them. The team at ANU used gold coated hollow glass particles in their demonstration.
The ANU tractor beam works by trapping the particles in the dark center of the laser. Energy from the beam hits the particles and travels across their surfaces where it is absorbed, creating hot spots. When air particles collide with the hot spots, they shoot away from the surfaces of the gold particles, causing them to recoil in the opposite direction.
The gold particles where then manipulated by changing the polarization of the laser beam. The polarization was changed by altering the shape of the laser from a doughnut shape to a star shape (axial), or a ring shape (azimuthal). Moving smoothly from one polarization to another causes the particle to stop or reverse its direction.
The ANU team say that because lasers can retain the quality of their beams over long distances, their tractor beam could possibly work over meters.
The tractor beam is capable of moving particles that are one fifth of a millimeter in size, a distance of 20 centimeter, which is 100 times further than any previous experiment. The ANU tractor beam uses the energy of the laser to heat up particles and the air around them. The team at ANU used gold coated hollow glass particles in their demonstration.
The ANU tractor beam works by trapping the particles in the dark center of the laser. Energy from the beam hits the particles and travels across their surfaces where it is absorbed, creating hot spots. When air particles collide with the hot spots, they shoot away from the surfaces of the gold particles, causing them to recoil in the opposite direction.
The gold particles where then manipulated by changing the polarization of the laser beam. The polarization was changed by altering the shape of the laser from a doughnut shape to a star shape (axial), or a ring shape (azimuthal). Moving smoothly from one polarization to another causes the particle to stop or reverse its direction.
The ANU team say that because lasers can retain the quality of their beams over long distances, their tractor beam could possibly work over meters.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Lockheed Claims Fusion Breakthrough
On October 16th 2014, Lockheed Martin announced that it had made a breakthrough in fusion technology that would allow them to create a Compact Fusion Reactor (CFR). The breakthrough is the result of a 10 member team in Lockheed's Sunk Works, or advance technologies division.
Nuclear fission is the process that is used in current reactor technology. It is the process of splitting atoms, and can leave waste products that can contaminate the Earth seemingly forever. Nuclear fusion, on the other hand, is the process that powers the sun. And, just as it sounds, atoms are fused together to create energy. The resulting wastes products are far less radioactive with a shorter length of decay.
A fusion reactor makes use of a hydrogen isotope known as deuterium, which is found in sea water, and tritium which is derived from lithium. The most notable fusion reactors have so far all been of the Tokamak variety. A tokamak generates energy by fusing ions into a super heated gas known as plasma. The plasma is so hot that it can only be contained by means of magnetic constriction.
The difference between the CFR or T4, as Lockheed has named it, is the design of the magnetic containment vessel. A tokamak uses a toroidal or doughnut shaped containment design, which can only hold so much plasma before reaching its beta limit. This reduces the tokamak's ability to produce as much energy as it consumes. The Lockheed design makes use of magnetic field confinement, but in linear rings, or "cusps." The CFR also makes use of axisymetric mirrors, which are magnetic fields that reflect any particle that might escape the vessel. This helps the CFR be more efficient.
The size and cost of a tokamak can also be extreme. The current Tokamak project being constructed in France is the ITER, an international effort that costs about $50 billion and when completed will be an estimated 100 feet high and will weigh approximately 23,000 tons. Because the Skunk Works team expects to also use a self tuning feedback system and particle recirculation, Lockheed contends that the CFR will be able to operate at 90% of the size of a tokamak. This means that it will most likely have a physical footprint of no more than 7 feet by 10 feet.
The CFR project is in its early stages, but the Skunk Works team at Lockheed believe that they can have a prototype up and running within the next five years, with use in military applications in 10 years. In twenty years, Lockheed expects to deliver a working fusion reactor to the rest of the world.
Nuclear fission is the process that is used in current reactor technology. It is the process of splitting atoms, and can leave waste products that can contaminate the Earth seemingly forever. Nuclear fusion, on the other hand, is the process that powers the sun. And, just as it sounds, atoms are fused together to create energy. The resulting wastes products are far less radioactive with a shorter length of decay.
A fusion reactor makes use of a hydrogen isotope known as deuterium, which is found in sea water, and tritium which is derived from lithium. The most notable fusion reactors have so far all been of the Tokamak variety. A tokamak generates energy by fusing ions into a super heated gas known as plasma. The plasma is so hot that it can only be contained by means of magnetic constriction.
The difference between the CFR or T4, as Lockheed has named it, is the design of the magnetic containment vessel. A tokamak uses a toroidal or doughnut shaped containment design, which can only hold so much plasma before reaching its beta limit. This reduces the tokamak's ability to produce as much energy as it consumes. The Lockheed design makes use of magnetic field confinement, but in linear rings, or "cusps." The CFR also makes use of axisymetric mirrors, which are magnetic fields that reflect any particle that might escape the vessel. This helps the CFR be more efficient.
The size and cost of a tokamak can also be extreme. The current Tokamak project being constructed in France is the ITER, an international effort that costs about $50 billion and when completed will be an estimated 100 feet high and will weigh approximately 23,000 tons. Because the Skunk Works team expects to also use a self tuning feedback system and particle recirculation, Lockheed contends that the CFR will be able to operate at 90% of the size of a tokamak. This means that it will most likely have a physical footprint of no more than 7 feet by 10 feet.
The CFR project is in its early stages, but the Skunk Works team at Lockheed believe that they can have a prototype up and running within the next five years, with use in military applications in 10 years. In twenty years, Lockheed expects to deliver a working fusion reactor to the rest of the world.
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