NASA's InSight spacecraft has only been on the surface of the Red Planet for a short while, and already it has shown off some cool photos and first ever facts about Mars. Earlier this week InSight sent NASA its first ever Mars wind recording. We've also seen an image of the spacecraft readying its robotic arm.
Lots of people around the world have dreamed of flying, but flight instruction, aircraft, and maintenance are very expensive putting flying out of the reach of many. A company called LIFT Aircraft has unveiled its new electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft called Hexa. The aircraft will be used to launch the world's first experimental entertainment business.
Keeping an eye on crops is getting to be a high tech job for farmers. Already farmers can use drones to fly over their fields and keep an eye on the temperature, humidity, and crop health. The catch is that the large drones have short flying times before they need to land and recharge. This has led researchers at the University of Washington (UW) to create a tiny sensing system that is small enough to be attached to the back of a bumblebee.
Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder have been able to create what they call tiny droplets of the ultra-hot matter that once filled the early universe. The matter they created formed three distinct shapes and sizes including circles, ellipses, and triangles. The image below is a visualization of the expanding drops of quark gluon plasmas.
The mid-size truck market is booming right now with major automakers back in the fray after many years of absence. The most exciting new mid-size truck is the Jeep Gladiator that debuted earlier this month. Another new entrant that people are looking forward to is the return of the Ford Ranger truck.
Scientists from the University at Buffalo or UB are working to better understand volcanos. The process of gaining understanding involves creating lava and then blowing it up with the goal of illustrating the physics of lava-water interactions. The interaction of water and lava can make volcanic eruptions more dangerous.
MIT has announced an engineering breakthrough that has resulted in the smallest 3D transistors ever created. These new MIT transistors are half the width of the slimmest commercial models available today. MIT worked with the University of Colorado on this new transistor.
A company called Gateway Bronco has been restoring the first generation Bronco SUVs from Ford for a long time now. The company recently announced that it plans to go beyond restoring original Broncos and will start building brand new, old Broncos under license from Ford. Gateway Bronco will build 1966-1977 Broncos under the Low Volume Manufacturers Act of 2015.
Last week we talked about the Chinese Chang'e-4 lunar probe that China was set to launch to study the far side of the moon. The probe launched in the early hours of Saturday morning and that lunch went off without a hitch. China sent the probe towards the moon atop a Long March-3B rocket.
In late November NASA shared the first image InSight took of its Martian surroundings. NASA is now sharing a picture of InSight as it gets ready to use its robotic arm to get to work. The arm has a reach of about 6-feet and is meant to pick up science instruments from the deck of the lander.
The last time we talked about the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign was when the car was on hand at the Goodwood Festival of Speed to a run up the hill. Rumors swirled that the vehicle might enter production as a very limited run ride. Nissan has now confirmed its production plans and offered up pricing on the car.
China is set to launch its next mission to the moon; it sent the Chang'e 3 mission to the moon back in 2013. The next mission is Chang'e 4, and it is set to launch early Saturday morning. The goal of this mission is to land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon.