2010-01-30

The OmniTread Serpentine Robot

Clipped from: OmniTread- Snake-Shaped Robot

OmniTread- Snake-Shaped Robot




OmniTread is a snake-like robot capable of climbing high vertical obstacles such as stairs, of moving through rough terrain and of crossing over wide gaps. Developed by a group of researchers from the University of Michigan College of Engineering, OmniTread can travel along electrical conduits and inside large pipes. Thanks to its special capabilities, the robot has a variety of potential applications, such as industrial inspection and surveillance, military and intelligence operations, and urban search and rescue missions.

Clipped from: Chap 1: OmniTread


















The OmniTread serpentine robot is designed to traverse extremely difficult terrain, such as the rubble of a collapsed building.
The OmniTread can also drive over sand and rocks. It can pass through small holes and climb over tall obstacles.
Innovations:
  • Use of pneumatic bellows for joint actuation. Bellows are powerful, naturally compliant, and take up minimal space.
  • Maximal coverage of all sides of all segments with extra wide moving tracks.
  • Unique pneumatic control method allows simultaneous proportional control of stiffness and joint angles.
  • The "drive shaft spine" is powered by a single electric motor in the center segment. The spine runs through the center of all segments and provides torque to all tracks.

Clipped from: New Page 2
Sources
  1. OmniTread- Snake-Shaped Robot
  2. Chap 1: OmniTread
  3. New Page 2
  4. YouTube - Extreme mobility snake robot for rescuing
  5. Robot Snake. Real. I Am Afraid ! Omni Tread ! - Video
Related:
  1. Home -- Slide 1
  2. Cool Omnitread Snake Robot Still Slithering (Video) | Singularity Hub
  3. TechEBlog » Earthquake Strikes San Diego California Today, OmniTread Robot Deployed

2010-01-29

NIF's Nuclear Fusion Experiments

Clipped from: AFP: US scientists step towards nuclear fusion with laser shot


US scientists step towards nuclear fusion with laser shot

  WASHINGTON — US scientists have produced a laser shot with an unprecedented energy level that could be a key step towards nuclear fusion, the US National Nuclear Security Administration said Wednesday.

The researchers for the first time delivered a megajoule of energy to a target by focusing 192 laser beams at the same time at a temperature of 111 million Celsius (200 million Fahrenheit), it said in a statement

"Breaking the megajoule barrier brings us one step closer to fusion ignition," said the body's administrator Thomas D?Agostino in a statement.


Clipped from: National Ignition Facility & Photon Science - The Power of Light

The world's largest and highest-energy laser, the National Ignition Facility (NIF), was dedicated on May 29, 2009. In 2010, NIF will begin experiments that will focus the energy of 192 giant laser beams on a BB-sized target filled with hydrogen fuel. NIF's goal is to fuse the hydrogen atoms' nuclei and produce net energy gain – the same fusion energy process that makes the stars shine and provides the life-giving energy of the sun. NIF is a program of the National Nuclear Security Administration. More on NIF ...
 
Hohlraum   

NIC Moves Into High Gear

  The experimental phase of the National Ignition Campaign (NIC), a series of tests and simulations to prepare NIF for its first nuclear fusion experiments in 2010, is under way. Shortly after the dedication of the NIF facility in May, NIC began conducting test shots to fine-tune the performance of NIF´s lasers, calibrate its diagnostic equipment, and verify the sophisticated computer simulations that help to guide the design of NIF´s fusion targets. More on NIC


Clipped from: Dailymotion - Nuclear Fusion by Laser : The Power of Light film from NIF - une vidéo Actu et Politique

The Power of Ligh a film from the NIF (National Ignition Facility) explaining the three goals of the NIF plant :





Clipped from: National Ignition Campaign: Inertial Confinement Fusion, NIF & Photon Science



All of the energy of NIF's 192 beams is directed inside a gold cylinder called a hohlraum, which is about the size of a dime. A tiny capsule inside the hohlraum contains atoms of deuterium (hydrogen with one neutron) and tritium (hydrogen with two neutrons) that fuel the ignition process.


See How ICF Works for a more detailed description of inertial confinement fusion.

Sources:
  1. AFP: US scientists step towards nuclear fusion with laser shot
  2. Focusing 192 lasers on one little target
  3. National Ignition Facility & Photon Science - The Power of Light
  4. Dailymotion - Nuclear Fusion by Laser : The Power of Light film from NIF - une vidéo Actu et Politique
  5. National Ignition Campaign: Inertial Confinement Fusion, NIF & Photon Science
    Related:
  1. National Ignition Facility achieves unprecedented 1 megajoule laser shot
  2. One step closer to nuclear fusion, scientists say (again) | Energy / Fuel
  3. Nuclear Fusion Power a Step Closer After Giant Laser Blast
  4. Is fusion success in sight? - Cosmic Log - msnbc.com
  5. BBC News - Laser fusion test results raise energy hopes
  6. Lasers zap fusion doubts at NIF - physicsworld.com
  7. Focusing 192 lasers on one little target
     

2010-01-28

Running Barefoot is Better

Clipped from: YouTube - Running shoe stress

Running shoe stress





Clipped from: The best running shoe may be nature's own: study | Reuters

The best running shoe may be nature's own: study



Runners who eschew shoes may be less likely to do serious injury to their feet, because they hold their feet differently, Daniel Lieberman of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts and colleagues found.

Writing in the journal Nature, they said runners who wear shoes tend to hit the ground with their heels first, whereas barefoot runners put the balls of the feet down first.

"People who don't wear shoes when they run have an astonishingly different strike," Lieberman said in a statement.

"By landing on the middle or front of the foot, barefoot runners have almost no impact collision, much less than most shod runners generate when they heel-strike," Lieberman added

Clipped from: Running Barefoot: Home

This website has been developed to provide an evidence-based resource for those interested in barefoot or minimal footwear running.

Clipped from: YouTube - The Barefoot Professor: by Nature Video

The Barefoot Professor: by Nature Video


Harvard professor Daniel Lieberman has ditched his trainers and started running barefoot. His research shows that barefoot runners, who tend to land on their fore-foot, generate less impact shock than runners in sports shoes who land heel first.




Clipped from: Running Barefoot: Biomechanics of Foot Strike

Biomechanical Differences Between Different Foot Strikes


The explanations below illustrate how and why a large collision is generated when heel striking and why such a small collision is generated when forefoot striking.

Heel Strike when Barefoot


Heel Strike in Running Shoes





Forefoot Strike when Barefoot




Sources:
  1. YouTube - Running shoe stress
  2. The best running shoe may be nature's own: study | Reuters
  3. Running Barefoot: Home
  4. YouTube - The Barefoot Professor: by Nature Video
  5. Running Barefoot: Heel Striking & Running Shoes
  6. Running Barefoot: Biomechanics of Foot Strike
Related:
  1. Access : Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod runners : Nature
  2. Observations: Running barefoot is better, researchers find
  3. Running Barefoot Reduces Stress—On Feet
  4. Running Barefoot Better than Running with Shoes : Discovery News
  5. BBC News - Shoes may have changed how we run
  6. Study: Running Shoes Could Cause Joint Strain - Fitness - FOXNews.com
  7. Shoeless running may spare feet - The Boston Globe
  8. Study: Humans Were Born To Run Barefoot : NPR
  9. Running Barefoot

2010-01-27

Photosynthetic Sea Slug makes Food out of Sunlight

Clipped from: CBC News - Technology & Science - Leaf-like sea slug feeds on light
CBCnews

Leaf-like sea slug feeds on light




A green sea slug found off North America's east coast not only looks like a leaf, but can also make food out of sunlight, just like a plant.

U.S. researchers have found that the sea slug Elysia chlorotica can photosynthesize, using energy from light to convert carbon dioxide into sugars.

"If you shine light on these slugs, they fix carbon dioxide and make oxygen just like a plant," Sidney Pierce of the University of South Florida told CBC Radio's Quirks & Quarks.

Clipped from: Surprising Sea Slug Is Half-plant, Half-animal | LiveScience
LiveScience

Surprising Sea Slug Is Half-plant, Half-animal


The sneaky slugs seem to have stolen the genes that enable this skill from algae that they've eaten. With their contraband genes, the slugs can carry out photosynthesis — the process plants use to convert sunlight into energy.
[...]
The sea slugs live in salt marshes in New England and Canada. In addition to burglarizing the genes needed to make the green pigment chlorophyll, the slugs also steal tiny cell parts called chloroplasts, which they use to conduct photosynthesis. The chloroplasts use the chlorophyl to convert sunlight into energy, just as plants do, eliminating the need to eat food to gain energy.
Clipped from: YouTube - Elysia chlorotica - photosynthetic sea slug movie 1

Elysia chlorotica - photosynthetic sea slug movie 1





Clipped from: YouTube - Elysia chlorotica - photosynthetic sea slug movie 2

Elysia chlorotica - photosynthetic sea slug movie 2





Sources:
  1. CBC News - Technology & Science - Leaf-like sea slug feeds on light
  2. Surprising Sea Slug Is Half-plant, Half-animal | LiveScience
  3. | LiveScience.com
  4. YouTube - Elysia chlorotica - photosynthetic sea slug movie 1
  5. YouTube - Elysia chlorotica - photosynthetic sea slug movie 2
Related:
  1. USF :: Department of Integrative Biology
  2. The Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences (MBS) -- University of Maine
  3. Green sea slug makes chlorophyll like a plant
  4. Sea Slugs Generating Green Energy
  5. Green Sea Slug Is Part Animal, Part Plant | Wired Science | Wired.com
  6. Green sea slug is half animal, half plant

2010-01-26

The BeBook Neo E-Reader

clipped from www.slashgear.com

BeBook Neo ereader: WiFi and Wacom touchscreen

It’s obviously the day for wireless ebook readers, with BeBook announcing that they’re taking preorders for their new BeBook Neo ereader. Packing a 6-inch E Ink panel with a Wacom touchscreen, the Neo may not have integrated 3G like some rivals we’ve seen, but it does get WiFi for accessing a range of third-party ebook stores.
bebook neo
clipped from www.youtube.com

Introducing BeBook Neo


clipped from mybebook.com

A new star is born: the BeBook Neo


World's first WiFi ereader with access to eBook stores worldwide.

Endless Ideas is proud to announce our new eReader: The BeBook Neo.
After our successful models 'BeBook One' and the pocket sized 'BeBook Mini' we collected suggestions from our customers and packed them into a new attractive eReader.
The BeBook Neo is using the latest patented ePaper E Ink technology for an amazing reading experience. Read anything, anytime, anywhere. The powerfull processor offers unparallelled reading and browsing speeds. BeBook Neo´s powerful battery allows up to 7000 pageturns on a full charge.

Unique features.
  • Easy eBook store access: Simply go to the Neo eBook portal and a worldmap will appear. Just click on your country and you will see a clear overview of third party eBook stores. The best part is that YOU decide where YOU want to purchase eBooks.

  • Connect to the Internet through WIFI. Besides shopping for eBooks online, you can access Google and Wikipedia on the go.

  • The BeBook Neo is the fastest eReader currently on the market. Offering up to 2,5 times faster browsing and operating speeds, due to its powerful Freescale processor.

  • The Neo features the latest WACOM touchpanel technology, which provides a very fast and more natural reading experience. The touch screen allows you to use your BeBook Neo for sketching, annotations and text mark-up; ideal for educational and business purposes.

  • The open architecture of the BeBook Neo makes it possible to expand its capabilities. Keep an eye on www.mybebook.com for firmware updates. We have some very cool features planned for the near future.
Popular file formats.

Just like our previous models most popular file formats can be read, including 'ePub' and 'PDF' (both with and without Adobe DRM), txt and even popular picture file formats, like JPG, are included.


clipped from www.youtube.com

Reading on the BeBook Neo


clipped from www.youtube.com

Internet browsing BeBook Neo



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Sources:
  1. BeBook Neo ereader: WiFi and Wacom touchscreen - SlashGear
  2. YouTube - Introducing BeBook Neo
  3. Introducing the BeBook Neo: press release
  4. YouTube - Reading on the BeBook Neo
  5. YouTube - Internet browsing BeBook Neo
Related:
  1. Ebook Reader, Ereader, Ebooks, BeBook Neo, Wifi Ereader, touchscreen BeBook - mybebook.com
  2. BeBook Neo E-Reader Offers Pre-Orders, Features WiFi And WACOM
  3. The BeBook Neo | Ian P. Christian's Personal Blog
  4. BeBook Neo Landing Sometime In March | Gizmodo Australia
  5. BeBook Neo e-reader launches with WiFi and WACOM capabilities -- Engadget

2010-01-25

Slime Mould Simulates Railwaiy Network

Clipped from: CBC News - Technology & Science - Slime mould mimics Tokyo's railway

CBCnews

Slime mould mimics Tokyo's railway

A single-celled slime mould mindlessly foraging for food can create a network as efficient as the Tokyo rail system, researchers say.



A team of Japanese and British researchers say the behaviour of the amoeba-like mould could lead to better design of computer or communication networks. The slime mould Physarum polycephalum grows to connect itself to food sources as part of its normal behaviour.
The mould "can find the shortest path through a maze or connect different arrays of food sources in an efficient manner," wrote Atsushi Tero of Hokkaido University and his colleagues in this week's issue of Science.


Clipped from: Better transit design through ... slime mold? - LiveScience- msnbc.com

Better transit design through ... slime mold?




The left image shows slime mold growing out from an initial food source to colonize other food sources (white dots) arranged like a map of Tokyo rail stations. After 26 hours of growth, the mold resolved itself into a network of tubes that efficiently connected the food sources.



Clipped from: Ride the Slime Mold Express! -- Wogan 2010 (121): 1 -- ScienceNOW

Ride the Slime Mold Express!

The work is "a very interesting example of how biology can inspire new methods in technological design," says Melanie Mitchell, a computer scientist at Portland State University in Oregon. But she's not quite ready to jump on the slime mold express. "This paper uses only one relatively simple example," she cautions. "It's not obvious that similar experiments would work as well for matching other transport networks."


Sources:
  1. CBC News - Technology & Science - Slime mould mimics Tokyo's railway
  2. Better transit design through ... slime mold? - LiveScience- msnbc.com
  3. Ride the Slime Mold Express! -- Wogan 2010 (121): 1 -- ScienceNOW
  4. Rules for Biologically Inspired Adaptive Network Design -- Tero et al. 327 (5964): 439 -- Science
   Related:
  1. Slime design mimics Tokyo's rail system
  2. BBC News - Engineers 'can learn from slime'
  3. FOXNews.com - Can Slime Molds Solve Traffic Jams?
  4. Observations: Slime mold validates efficiency of Tokyo rail network
  5. Slime mould attacks simulates Tokyo rail network : Not Exactly Rocket Science
  6. Brainless Slime Mold Builds a Replica Tokyo Subway | 80beats | Discover Magazine
    

2010-01-24

UCSD Researchers Synchronize Genetic Clocks in Bacteria

Clipped from: Researchers synchronize blinking 'genetic clocks' -- genetically engineered bacteria that keep track of time


Researchers Synchronize Blinking 'Genetic Clocks' -- Genetically Engineered Bacteria That Keep Track of Time


ScienceDaily (Jan. 24, 2010) — Researchers at UC San Diego who last year genetically engineered bacteria to keep track of time by turning on and off fluorescent proteins within their cells have taken another step toward the construction of a programmable genetic sensor. The scientists recently synchronized these bacterial "genetic clocks" to blink in unison and engineered the bacterial genes to alter their blinking rates when environmental conditions change.

Their latest achievement, detailed in a paper published in the January 21 issue of the journal Nature, is a crucial step in creating genetic sensors that might one day provide humans with advance information about temperature, poisons and other potential hazards in the environment by monitoring changes in the bacterium's blinking rates.

Clipped from: UC San Diego Researchers Synchronize Blinking “Genetic Clocks”






A supernova burst in a colony of coupled genetic clocks show them flashing in synchrony. (Credit: UCSD)





Tal Danino (foreground), Octavio Mondragon (left to right), Lev Tsimring and Jeff Hasty synchronized the genetic clocks in bacteria. (Credit: UCSD)


Clipped from: YouTube - Bacteria make Mexican wave


Bacteria make Mexican waves



By synchronising our clocks, we can coordinate our activities with people around the world. Now, scientists have engineered bacteria to synchronise their molecular timekeepers, creating the stunning fluorescent waves you see in this video. Hear more about synthetic biology on the Nature Podcast (http://www.nature.com/nature/podcast) or read the original research



Clipped from: A synchronized quorum of genetic clocks : Abstract : Nature

Nature
463, 326-330 (21 January 2010) | doi:10.1038/nature08753; Received 20 August 2009; Accepted 4 December 2009

A synchronized quorum of genetic clocks


Tal Danino, Octavio Mondragón-Palomino, Lev Tsimring & Jeff Hasty

Clipped from: Genetic Clock Makers at UC San Diego Publish Their Timepiece in Nature [Jacobs School of Engineering: News & Events]
UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering

Hasty has been working on building a robust genetic clock from scratch since his years as a postdoctoral researcher in the early 2000s.

“We finally determined that a crucial aspect is a small time delay in the negative feedback loop of the genetic network,” explained Hasty. “This is an example in which synthetic biology can lead to a better understanding of the importance of specific aspects of gene regulatory networks. Because you can’t model every aspect of a genetic network, you have to figure out what needs to be accounted for in your models and what doesn’t.”



Network diagram of the dual-feedback oscillator. Adding a two minute time delay led to the synthetic biology breakthrough.

Sources:
  1. Researchers synchronize blinking 'genetic clocks' -- genetically engineered bacteria that keep track of time
  2. UC San Diego Researchers Synchronize Blinking “Genetic Clocks”
  3. A synchronized quorum of genetic clocks : Abstract : Nature
  4. YouTube - Bacteria make Mexican waves
  5. Genetic Clock Makers at UC San Diego Publish Their Timepiece in Nature [Jacobs School of Engineering: News & Events]
Related:
  1. UC San Diego Home Page
  2. Biodynamics Lab
  3. Hasty Lab
  4. Video: Bacteria Transformed Into Living, Blinking Clocks Could Provide Precisely Timed Drug Delivery | Popular Science
  5. Researchers synchronize blinking 'genetic clocks' (w/ Video)
  6. BBC News - Synthetic biology cells produce light show
  7. Technology Review: A Synchronous Clock Made of Bacteria
  8. Researchers Synchronize Blinking 'Genetic Clocks' - Science News - redOrbit
  9. Bacterial clocks chime in unison : Nature News
  10. Is There Nothing E. coli Cannot Do? The Borg Edition | The Loom | Discover Magazine

2010-01-23

Lockheed's HULC Exoskeletons

clipped from www.popsci.com

Lockheed's HULC Super-Soldier Exoskeleton Gets More Juice


Even the finest super-soldier suit can end up as expensive deadweight if the batteries run out of juice. Lockheed Martin wants to avoid that fate for its robotic exoskeleton by turning to fuel cells that can power the suit for days, The Register reports.

clipped from www.theregister.co.uk
The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Super-soldier exoskeleton to get 3-day fuel cell powerpack

Global arms behemoth Lockheed, developing the Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC™) after buying the originating firm Berkely Bionics, announced this week that fuel-cell firm Protonex will "develop power supply concepts that will enable the HULC™ robotic exoskeleton to support 72+-hour extended missions". Here's a company promo vid about the HULC:

Lockheed Martin - We never forget who we're working for
Lockheed Martin is a leading provider of advanced technology solutions for the Warfighter including ground Soldier systems such as wearable situational awareness equipment and mobility assistance systems.
HULC
Traverses Tough Terrain
HULC
Carries Heavy Loads
HULC
Enables Rapid Movement


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Sources:
  1. Lockheed's HULC Super-Soldier Exoskeleton Gets More Juice | Popular Science
  2. Super-soldier exoskeleton to get 3-day fuel cell powerpack • The Register
  3. HULC | Lockheed Martin
Related:
  1. YouTube - HULC Exoskeleton Promo Vid
  2. Lockheed Unleashes ‘HULC’ Super-Strength Gear | Danger Room | Wired.com
  3. Berkeley Bionics - HULC™
  4. NIKE = CONTRACTOR?! - Tech Bisnow - Washington
  5. HULC Super-soldier Exoskeleton | Geeky Gadgets
  6. HULC Exoskeleton Now Available For Pre-Order - Berkley - Gizmodo
  7. The HULC Robotic Exoskeleton To Get Fuel Cell For 72+ Hour Missions - Legit Reviews
  8. Hulc - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2010-01-22

Video Game Success Determined by Brain Structure

Clipped from: Video gamers: Size of brain structures predicts success


Video Gamers: Size of Brain Structures Predicts Success


ScienceDaily (Jan. 21, 2010) — Researchers can predict your performance on a video game simply by measuring the volume of specific structures in your brain, a multi-institutional team reports this week.
The new study, in the journal Cerebral Cortex, found that nearly a quarter of the variability in achievement seen among men and women trained on a new video game could be predicted by measuring the volume of three structures in their brains.

The study adds to the evidence that specific parts of the striatum, a collection of distinctive tissues tucked deep inside the cerebral cortex, profoundly influence a person's ability to refine his or her motor skills, learn new procedures, develop useful strategies and adapt to a quickly changing environment.

Clipped from: Striatal Volume Predicts Level of Video Game Skill Acquisition -- Erickson et al., 10.1093/cercor/bhp293 -- Cerebral Cortex

Cerebral Cortex Advance Access published online on January 20, 2010

Cerebral Cortex, doi:10.1093/cercor/bhp293

Striatal Volume Predicts Level of Video Game Skill Acquisition




Figure 1. Regions studied. Display in 3D and 2D images for the segmentations used to identify the nucleus accumbens (orange), putamen (red), caudate nucleus (blue), and hippocampus (green).

Clipped from: Video gamers: Size of brain structures predicts succes

Kramer, Graybiel, Erickson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign




Art Kramer (left) at Illinois, Ann Graybiel of MIT, and Kirk Erickson of the University of Pittsburgh found that the volume of specific brain structures could predict how well a person would perform on a video game. The study was conducted at the University of Illinois.

They used high-resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to analyze the size of these brain regions in 39 healthy adults (aged 18-28; 10 of them male) who had spent less than three hours a week playing video games in the previous two years. The volume of each brain structure was compared to that of the brain as a whole.
Participants were then trained on one of two versions of Space Fortress, a video game developed at the University of Illinois that requires players to try to destroy a fortress without losing their own ship to one of several potential hazards.
Clipped from: Space Fortress :: CogWorks Laboratories :: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute / RPI
Research > Space Fortress




Space Fortress is an action video game that requires constant shifts of attention, memory retrievals, visual tracking, fine motor control, and dynamic decision making. We are creating a hybrid cognitive model to play the game, part of a larger effort in studying skill transfer.


Sources:
  1. Video gamers: Size of brain structures predicts success
  2. Striatal Volume Predicts Level of Video Game Skill Acquisition -- Erickson et al., 10.1093/cercor/bhp293 -- Cerebral Cortex
  3. Video gamers: Size of brain structures predicts success
  4. Space Fortress :: CogWorks Laboratories :: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute / RPI
Related:
  1. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  2. University of Pittsburgh: News From Pitt
  3. Video gamers: Size of brain structures predicts success
  4. BBC News - Video game success may be in the mind, study finds
  5. Are Big Brains Predictors of Success?
  6. Big brains for video games - Cosmic Log - msnbc.com
  7. Want to be a better gamer? Size matters | Health Tech - CNET News
  8. Skilled video gamers have bigger brain structures, more success, study says | The Toybox | ZDNet.com
  9. Brain Scans Reveal Video Gamers' Secrets - BusinessWeek
  10. Study shows that better gamers have bigger brains, are better learners too -- Engadget

2010-01-21

Quicklaunch -- Space Cannon

clipped from www.physorg.com

Space cannon to shoot payloads into orbit (w/ Video)

(PhysOrg.com) -- A physicist has proposed using a 1.1 km (3,600 ft) cannon to deliver cargo into orbit, and says the cost would be around $250 per pound, a massive saving on the $5,000 per pound ($2280 per kg) it currently costs to make deliveries using a rocket.

http://cdn.physorg.com/newman/gfx/news/hires/spacegun.jpg
Hunter plans to test a 3 meter prototype in a water tank in February, and a full-size cannon could be built within seven years, if Quicklaunch can raise the required $500 million. While this is a sizeable upfront cost, the potential savings in the long term are substantial, because the cannon is reusable. Its use would significantly reduce the cost of keeping the International Space Station in orbit.

clipped from www.popsci.com

A Cannon for Shooting Supplies into Space


How the Space Cannon Works John MacNeill

How to Shoot Stuff into Space

STEP 1: HEAT IT
The gun combusts natural gas in a heat exchanger within a
chamber of hydrogen gas, heating the hydrogen to 2,600˚F and causing a 500 percent increase in pressure.
STEP 2: LET THE HYDROGEN LOOSE
Operators open the valve, and the hot, pressurized hydrogen quickly expands down the tube, pushing the payload forward.
STEP 3: TO INFINITY AND BEYOND
After speeding down the 3,300-foot-long barrel, the projectile shoots out of the gun at 13,000 mph. An iris at the end of the gun closes, capturing the hydrogen gas to use again.
clipped from quicklaunchinc.com



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Sources
  1. Space cannon to shoot payloads into orbit (w/ Video)
  2. spacegun.jpg (JPEG Image, 512x344 pixels)
  3. A Cannon for Shooting Supplies into Space | Popular Science
  4. Quicklaunch Inc.
Related:
  1. Shooting payloads into space with a cannon | Homeland Security News Wire
  2. YouTube - Cannons to the Planets
  3. Space Cannon | Universe Today
  4. Space gun - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia