NASA has been in the spotlight lately for the lunar mission, but the space company does much more than that. For example, it has several technological initiatives that should help improve life on Earth, thanks to things we learn in space. It’s called the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, and six researchers have just been told their futuristic projects can move forward. These are the projects that matter.
Quantum Rydberg Radar
“These new investments show how NIAC-backed concepts can transform exploration,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). “From revolutionary propulsion systems for deep space missions to advances in aeronautics to change how we travel here on Earth, these technologies would radically expand our capabilities in air and space.” Each project will receive up to $600,000 over two years to develop their concepts.
Darmindra Arumugam works at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California on the Quantum Rydberg Radar. This is a radar that provides more insight into surface, topography and vegetation. It uses remote-sensing dynamic quantum radar technology, which uses reflected signals from other orbiting spacecraft to save us from having to install large antennas.
Electro Aerodynamics
Steven Barrett is working on something completely different at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, namely a silent, fixed drive for advanced air mobility vehicles. It looks at creating near-silent electro-aerodynamic thrusters for vertical take-off and landing aircraft that can be used to transport cargo and possibly passengers over short distances in urban areas. In short, that has less to do with space, but with aerodynamics.
Defense system
Philip Lubin continues to work on planetary defense at the University of California. Yes, you read that right. This is not about space wars, but about providing the Earth with a rapid reaction capability to mitigate a catastrophic impact from an asteroid or comet by crushing the object into pieces small enough to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. This is an interesting one, because this is where NASA is already working on DART to some degree. This could sometimes give extra depth.
Nyx mission
Christopher Morrison works at the Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation in Seattle on the Nyx mission. This mission aims to observe the Universe from space, made possible by EmberCore, a high specific power radioisotope electrical propulsion system. In slightly more understandable terms, this concept uses the nuclear decay of a radioactive material in a radioisotope electrical propulsion system to propel a spacecraft to extremely high speeds, enabling distant and fast-moving objects in the solar system to be reached in a relatively short time. intercepted and studied.
Radio telescope
Ronald Polidan joins Lunar Resources, Inc. getting started in Houston with the FarView Observatory, it’s a way to learn more about the far side of the moon. It is a huge radio telescope that will be built autonomously with resources from the moon’s regolith. This should make it possible to make unprecedented observations of the early universe.
Lynn Rothschild will work from NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley on flexible, personalized astropharmacy on demand. Pharmacy: pharmacy. This concept uses bacteria to make medical drugs on demand during extended space missions, including a class of drugs that can be used to treat radiation exposure or protect the bones of astronauts in space.
In short, plenty of developments within NASA, which also receive the funds to continue developing. We are curious to see which technologies will actually be implemented and what they can teach us.
Laura Jenny
When she’s not tapping, she’s traveling around the wonderful world of entertainment or some cool place in the real world. Mario is the man of her life,…
