Water-Powered Spaceship Could Make Mars Trip on the Cheap
Mike Wall, SPACE.com Senior Writer
Spaceships powered primarily by water could open up the solar system to exploration, making flights to Mars and other far-flung locales far cheaper, a recent study has found.
A journey to Mars and back in a water-fueled vehicle could cost as little as one space shuttle launch costs today, researchers said. And the idea is to keep these "space coaches" in orbit between trips, so their relative value would grow over time, as the vehicles reduce the need for expensive one-off missions that launch from Earth.
The water-powered space coach is just a concept at the moment, but it could become a reality soon enough, researchers said.
O incrível Robô-Minhoca:
Crawling, squirming modular iMobot designed to advance robotics
By Ben Coxworth
By Ben Coxworth
Building a robot, it's probably safe to assume, is a daunting project. It would doubtless be considerably easier if designers didn't have to build everything from scratch, but could instead use pre-built modules. That's where the iMobot comes into play. Designed by University of California, Davis alumnus Graham Ryland and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering Harry Cheng, the modular iMobot is a small robot in its own right, but could also be used as part of a larger robotic system.
http://www.gizmag.com/imobot-designed-to-advance-robotics/18233/
Um Circuito Electrónico em Plástico:
The First Plastic Computer Processor
By Tom Simonite
Silicon may underpin the computers that surround us, but the rigid inflexibility of the semiconductor means it cannot reach everywhere. The first computer processor and memory chips made out of plastic semiconductors suggest that, someday, nowhere will be out of bounds for computer power.Researchers in Europe used 4,000 plastic, or organic, transistors to create the plastic microprocessor, which measures roughly two centimeters square and is built on top of flexible plastic foil. "Compared to using silicon, this has the advantage of lower price and that it can be flexible," says Jan Genoe at the IMEC nanotechnology center in Leuven, Belgium. Genoe and IMEC colleagues worked with researchers at the TNO research organization and display company Polymer Vision, both in the Netherlands.
http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/37126/?p1=A2
...E os Livros de Fibonacci, em Leilão:
Historic 15th century Fibonacci manuscript up for auction
By Bridget Borgobello
By Bridget Borgobello
A collection of revered mathematical works will soon be put to auction in New York, including significant pieces of the Liber Abaci or Book of Calculation by Fibonacci. Esteemed as one of the most brilliant mathematicians in Western history, Leonardo Pisano Bigollo (Fibonacci) translated Arabic numerals, whilst explaining the superiority of these numerals and the importance of zero. Above all it was Fibonacci's work that has helped modern day mathematicians find breakthroughs in mathematical equations, whilst also defining sequences used for computer programming and the financial markets.
Fibonacci is of course well known for bringing the Fibonacci code to the West (first understood by Indian mathematicians in the 6th century). Each number in the code simply represents the sum of the previous two numbers, starting with 0 and 1 (eg. 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987 ... ).
http://www.gizmag.com/historic-15th-century-fibonacci-manuscript-up-for-auction/18210/
Fibonacci is of course well known for bringing the Fibonacci code to the West (first understood by Indian mathematicians in the 6th century). Each number in the code simply represents the sum of the previous two numbers, starting with 0 and 1 (eg. 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987 ... ).
http://www.gizmag.com/historic-15th-century-fibonacci-manuscript-up-for-auction/18210/
