9621 Agnes Crossing, Lake Suzanneview, New Mexico Island 84604-9295.
Do you know that NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Is there a program that funds the best ideas in astronomy and astronautics for possible use in future
Do you know that NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Is there a program that funds the best ideas in astronomy and astronautics for possible use in future missions? That’s right, the North American Space Agency is always looking for innovative and technological projects that could change the way we explore space.
NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program – or Innovative Advanced Concepts in Portuguese – funds early research to evaluate its potential, whether it be improved or entirely new aerospace concepts. It was founded in 2011 as the successor of the Institute for Advanced Concepts and announced millionaire scholarships for engineers, researchers and entrepreneurs who can present interesting and cutting-edge technologies. In March of this year, NASA selected and announced the most recent award-winning projects that collectively reach US$5.1M (approximately 24 million reais in current direct conversion).
NASA’s artificial satellite has been in space for more than 30 years and has mapped hundreds of thousands of gallbladder…
Ideas go beyond what is already known all-terrain vehicles to explore our neighboring planet Mars, which is one of the bodies we have studied the most and the object of constant discoveries. Project concepts vary and it offers innovation across multiple sectors such as space trip, costume upgrade living in space, discovering more resistant materials and new concepts in computing, robotics and instrumentation.
For example, there are individual projects offering small climbing robots enter the caves that lie below the surface of Mars, or even micro robots 3D printed swimmers explore the oceans of moons like Saturn’s Titan. Another project also introduces a new way to use nuclear power for spaceships, and so on.
Next, we will highlight some very interesting futuristic technologies that are involved in the NASA program. The projects were covered on the American site Next network.
The RAMA project proposes a different and very ambitious way to explore the solar system: hitchhiking on asteroids modified to serve as giant spaceships. The plans of the involved team include turning the elements of the asteroid into programmed automata. That is, with the help of intelligent robots that attach themselves to an asteroid and begin to “assemble” a mini-ship around this rock. The idea is to reduce the cost of ground launches as the technology will be produced and assembled in space.
Image: Made in Space, Inc. Project RAMA, NIAC
The prototype for this project has been dubbed “The Werewolf,” which sci-fi movie buffs will know means something or someone that can change shape. Werewolf. It brings the concept of a robot with the ability to transform into various devices. It will essentially be a circular composite formed by smaller robotic units capable of “floating” but allowing those units to separate and transform into flying robots (like drones). This proposal is intended to help in the exploration of different types of environments on neighboring planets and other celestial bodies such as rocky areas and mountains or deep seas.
Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Marilyn Flynn
NASA is also sponsoring research on the “giant light blocker,” a tool that would be very useful for exploring the vastness of space. This technology can help astronomers in observing celestial bodies and their interactions. According to the project, the device will be able to block the luminosity of the star, casting a kind of shadow on it, but not blocking the light on the planets “around”. The creators of the project claim that this resource will be an important milestone in the development of planetary research.
Image: John Mather
Speaking of the innovative technologies for astronaut clothing that we talked about in the introduction, it seems that NASA is supporting the development of smart suits. These days, astronaut spacesuits are too bulky and heavy even for zero gravity space. One project that intends to solve this problem in the future is SmartSuit, which includes so-called “soft robotics” in a suit, with elastic self-healing skin and built-in sensors that collect and display real-time data.
The kit was specially designed for manned missions to Mars. This is one of the ideas that most resembles science fiction films.
Image: Dr. Ana Diaz-Artilez
And the more people and missions go into space, the more garbage, unfortunately, gets into our solar system. Studies show that about 100 million fragments of extraterrestrial debris, at least 1 millimeter in size, are already scattered in space. It is no longer enough to pollute the Earth, humanity also fills the rest of the universe with garbage. And that’s the problem.
Therefore, one of the projects chosen by NASA is Brane Craft, a kind of dynamic space debris cleaner. In a simple (and not very fair) comparison, it’s as if the device were a robotic vacuum cleaner that collects garbage in its “orbit” and then burns the garbage in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Image: Joseph Hidalgo, Aerospace Corporation
The most impressive thing is the design promises to be ultra-thin, like a giant sheet of paper in space.
Another innovative technology under the NASA program consists of a technique called Optical Mining. It uses concentrated sunlight to turn asteroid materials into rocket boosters. This will make it easier for spacecraft to access fuel, as it will only “dilute material from asteroids”. According to the space agency, this would be a way to industrialize space.
The last innovative project that we list here is also associated with a visit to the Red Planet. It’s a portable oxygen generator!
But so far, no spacecraft, only nanoscale – and in the laboratory
In order to colonize our neighboring planet in the future (if that is indeed possible), several obstacles will need to be overcome, starting with the atmosphere and the lack of oxygen so that humans can breathe like on Earth. With this in mind, Arizona State University professor and researcher Ivan Ermanoski submitted a proposal for a portable oxygen generator.
The system uses a process called thermal oscillation sorption/desorption (TSSD) to extract oxygen from the Martian atmosphere. The process uses 10 times less energy than the main current methods, he says. This technology could be one of the first steps towards creating the reality of humans on Mars. And this oxygen generator can serve both environments like domes and portable equipment.
Image: Ivan Ermanoski
Source: Next Network
Source: Mundo Conectado
I’m Sandra Torres, a passionate journalist and content creator. My specialty lies in covering the latest gadgets, trends and tech news for Div Bracket. With over 5 years of experience as a professional writer, I have built up an impressive portfolio of published works that showcase my expertise in this field.
