Most people are familiar with Holograms, 3 dimensional Images created by lasers, which can capture an object in three dimensions instead of being like a two-dimensional photo. Full colour lasers can project a moving image onto a hidden piece of glass on a stage to recreate performances from actors and …
Rubin vs Webb Telescopes – What’s the Difference Between Them?
First there was Hubble, the telescope that literally brought us images from almost the beginning of the universe as we know it, with unbelievable visions of the most distant objects we have ever seen. Then came the James Webb telescope, this was like Hubble on steroids and has gone even …
If We launched Voyager 3, Would We Still Send the Golden Records?
On the 20th of August 1977, Voyager 2 was launched, then on the 5th of September 1977 Voyager 1 was launched. Their mission would take advantage of a favourable planetary alignment to explore Jupiter and Saturn, then during the mission the destination was changed so that Voyager 2 would fly …
How Different Are Space Computers From Those Used on Earth?
Without the Apollo guidance computer we would not have gotten to the moon and back. Today It might be vastly out gunned by a simple smartphone but that’s not the point, it was made to do a job and the way it did it influenced computers for decades to come. …
Are Molten Salt Reactors the Future of Nuclear Power?
Although we have dramatically increased the amount of power generated by wind and solar over the last few decades, there is one inescapable reality which still exists, the sun goes down every night and remains off limits for approximately 12 hours every day and cloud cover can reduce solar output …
How Could Nuclear Batteries Last a Lifetime?
We tend to forget about the humble battery, the power source that is in every electronic device that is not wired to the mains. It’s the power and the Achilles heel of electric vehicles, it’s the thing that runs out after a day of using your Apple watch and yet …
Are Space Elevators Still a Thing for the Future?
Sometimes, some things seem like really good idea in principle, up until someone points out that those pesky laws of physics mean that it is actually much, much harder to do than it looks. One of those ideas is the Space elevator, something that’s been around as an idea since …
Will SpaceX Starlink Have Too Many Satellites in Orbit?
On the 3rd October 1957 the earth had one satellite, the moon. On the 4th October 1957 it had two with the addition of the Soviet Sputnik-1, the world’s first artificial satellite and although it only stayed in orbit for 22 days, it opened the floodgates and today we have …
Are Analogue Computer Hybrids The Future?
What does a mini moog synthesiser, a planimeter and a Kerrison Predictor have in common. Well they’re all forms of analogue computers. The mini moog synthesiser uses continuously variable voltage controlled oscillators, filters, Amplifiers and envelope generators to create musical or non musical sounds. Analogue synthesiser technology was originally based …
Is This The Next Big Thing – Near Zero Energy Chips
When you’re sitting using your computer watching YouTube videos like this or your on your smartphone scrolling through TikTok videos, Facebook posts or watching the news, I bet the last thing that goes through your mind is “I wonder how much all of this is costing to run”. In the …