Space station pilots 'interplanetary internet'

Disruption tolerant communications protocol being tested on the international space station.
A new networking technology called Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) could give astronauts direct Internet access within a year.

The technology currently is being tested aboard the International Space Station (ISS), and could lead towards what has been dubbed the "Interplanetary Internet".

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New wonder material, one-atom thick, has scientists abuzz

Imagine a carbon sheet that's only one atom thick but is stronger than diamond and conducts electricity 100 times faster than the silicon in computer chips.

That's graphene, the latest wonder material coming out of science laboratories around the world. It's creating tremendous buzz among physicists, chemists and electronic engineers.

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Superfast airplanes through super tiny technology

Princeton engineers will study how fuel additives made of tiny particles of graphene can help supersonic jets fly faster and make diesel engines cleaner and more efficient. To create the graphene particles, the researchers remove carbon dioxide molecules from graphite oxide (top two molecules) which leaves a irregular bond pattern that creates a buckle in the otherwise flat graphene molecule (bottom molecule). This ridge prevents the graphene molecule from folding into ball.

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Light's Repulsive Force Discovered

A newly discovered repulsive aspect to light could one day control telecommunications devices with greater speed and less power, researchers said today.

The discovery was made by splitting infrared light into two beams that each travel on a different length of silicon nanowire, called a waveguide. The two light beams became out of phase with one another, creating a push, or repulsive force, with an intensity that can be controlled; the more out of phase the two light beams, the stronger the force.

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Boeing/Iridium Team Completes High Integrity GPS Program Milestones

A team led by Boeing [NYSE: BA] with support from Iridium Satellite LLC today announced that it has achieved two major milestones to further develop and demonstrate capability enhancements to the High Integrity Global Positioning System (GPS) program for the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

The first milestone, completion of the Enhanced Narrowband (ENB) software modification to computers on Iridium satellites, enables second-generation GPS-aiding signals to be broadcast through the entire Iridium constellation. These broadcasts will enable rapid, more accurate GPS position fixes anywhere in the world.

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Vibration harvesting

A new research project aims to create devices that harvest energy from vibrations, obviating the need for cables and batteries.

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Defence network

Cobham announced today that it has been awarded $14.8m (£9.1m) by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the Wireless Network after Next (WNaN) programme.

Under this cost plus fixed fee contract, Cobham Sensor Systems in Lowell, Massachusetts, will design, develop and demonstrate low-cost wireless network nodes which support adaptation by means of distributed network processing. A key element of the design is affordability, to allow wide deployment throughout the armed services.

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Raytheon Demonstrates Networked Lethality for Army Modernization

By networking sensors and effects, Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) recently demonstrated how the U.S. Army could modernize brigade combat teams to significantly improve situational awareness and targeting efficiency to help save soldiers' lives.

Hosting a live, hands-on demonstration at Fort Benning, Ga., Raytheon validated how networked lethality is achieved by linking emerging capabilities of its Multi-Function Radio Frequency System, Common Mast-Mounted Sight, and combat identification technology with fielded BCT sensors and weapon systems.

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Recycle Today's LCD TVs Into Tomorrow's Human Tissue-Regeneration Systems

Researchers at the University of York's Department of Chemistry propose that instead of just tossing old LCD screens, we recycle them for medical purposes. Polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA), a component used as a coating on the glass surfaces of all LCD panels, can also (as it happens) help in the process of regrowing tissue and regenerating body parts. It could even be used to help target specific parts of the body for drug delivery in pills.

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NASA to De-Orbit International Space Station In 2016

Despite nearing completion after more than a decade of construction, and recently announcing some upcoming improvements to accompany its full crew of six astronauts, NASA plans to de-orbit the International Space Station in 2016. Meaning the station will have spent more time under construction than completed.

The fact that the ISS has already had $100 billion dumped into it over the years is reason for criticism over the proposed de-orbiting. Proponents of the extra-terrestrial shelter feel 2016 would be too soon to let the 700,000 pound craft crash into the Pacific Ocean. Critics against it say it wastes too much money with few tangible outcomes.

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WiMax Growth Slowing Amid Recession

WiMax subscriber growth slowed in the first quarter, and the emerging wireless technology will continue to struggle at least through this year, a survey by research company Maravedis indicates.

The global recession weighed down both subscriber additions and the average monthly revenue from business users in the first quarter, according to Maravedis analyst Adlane Fellah. WiMax operators are also running into a variety of other hurdles, including regulation, delayed allocation of spectrum and their own deployment problems, he added.

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Cloud computing a 'security nightmare,' says Cisco CEO

If anyone has the right to be excited about cloud computing, it's John Chambers. But on Wednesday Cisco's Chairman and CEO conceded that the computing industry's move to sell pay-as-you-go computing cycles available as a service on the Internet was also "a security nightmare."

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ID chips raise privacy fears

Increasingly, government officials are promoting the chipping of identity documents as a 21st century application of technology that will help speed border crossings, safeguard credentials against counterfeiters, and keep terrorists from sneaking into the country.

But Paget's February experiment demonstrated something privacy advocates had feared for years: That RFID, coupled with other technologies, could make people trackable without their knowledge.

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Where Are the Cybercops?

Everyone talks about Internet security, but no one does anything about it. That's not true, of course -- there are many organizations and businesses dedicated to keeping the Web safe. Yet it is true that no one is taking ultimate responsibility for policing the Web. No one is willing -- or perhaps, able -- to say "the buck stops here." Perhaps that's as it should be?

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The next hacking frontier: Your brain?

Hackers who commandeer your computer are bad enough. Now scientists worry that someday, they'll try to take over your brain.

In the past year, researchers have developed technology that makes it possible to use thoughts to operate a computer, maneuver a wheelchair or even use Twitter -- all without lifting a finger. But as neural devices become more complicated, and go wireless, some scientists say the risks of "brain hacking" should be taken seriously.

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Sikorsky X2 Files With Engaged Propeller

Sikorsky's X2 Technology demonstrator recently completed two test flights with a fully engaged the propeller for the first time. The helicopter reached speeds of 52 knots in one test and 42 knots with the propeller providing forward thrust in the second flight. The demonstrator is designed to fly at 250 knots, about twice the speed of current helicopters.

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Boeing's Two Flying Lasers Face Different Futures

Although the Airborne Laser (ABL) and the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) have different missions, both projects are led by aviation and defense giant Boeing, and both consist of a chemical laser mounted on a large aircraft.

Both projects also cleared major technical hurdles in June, with ABL successfully targeting a missile in flight, and ATL firing its full-power laser at a ground target for the first time.

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Intel May Release New Nehalem Chips Next Month

Intel appears ready to deliver, starting next month, new server, laptop and desktop processors based on its new microarchitecture, which offers improved performance.

The new chips will be based on the Nehalem microarchitecture, which cuts down on bottlenecks that plague its current chips. Nehalem chips are also able to execute more tasks while drawing less power.

An industry source with knowledge of Intel's plans said the company will deliver new Xeon server processors belonging to the 5500 and 3500 chip families starting early August. Chip specifics weren't immediately available.

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Bill Gates, the Hurricane Tamer?

Bill Gates, one of the most powerful men on the planet, appears to be taking on one of Mother Earth's most fearsome forces: the hurricane.

An application filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Jan. 3, 2008, lists Gates and 12 others as the inventors of a number of methods to control and prevent hurricanes.

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