Own-News: Technology

NASA says puzzling new space drive can generate thrust without propellant

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             <img alt="According to a puzzling report, a new thruster design appears to be able to accelerate a c..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/hero/reactionless-drive-space-propulsion.jpg" title="According to a puzzling report, a new thruster design appears to be able to accelerate a c..." /> </div>
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A NASA study has recently concluded that the "Cannae Drive," a 
disruptive new method of space propulsion, can produce small amounts of 
thrust without the use of propellant, in apparent discordance with 
Newton's third law. According to its inventor, the device can harness 
microwave radiation inside a resonator, turning electricity into a net 
thrust. If further verified and perfected, the advance could 
revolutionize the space industry, dramatically cutting costs for both 
missions in deep space and satellites in Earth orbit.</div>
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The basic principle behind space propulsion is very simple: for every
 action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Use a rocket engine to
 throw mass one way, get propelled the other way. And according to the 
law of conservation of momentum, the more mass you throw behind you and 
the faster you throw it, the stronger your forward thrust will be.<br />
<br />

One consequence for space travel is that, to counter Earth's gravity 
and reach orbital velocity, rockets need to carry a very large amount of
 propellant: For instance, in the now-retired Space Shuttle, the mass of
 the fuel was almost twenty times greater than the payload itself. In 
satellites the impact is smaller, but still very significant: for 
geostationary satellites, fuel can make up as much as half the launch 
weight, and that makes them more expensive to launch and operate.<br />
<br />

But now, a NASA study has concluded that a new type of spacecraft 
propulsion is able to generate thrust without propellant. This appears 
to violate the law of conservation of momentum: in other words, if no 
mass (fuel or otherwise) is being ejected from the system, where is the 
thrust coming from? Where is the equal and opposite reaction?<br />

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<img alt="The thruster appears to work by resonating microwave radiation to produce a net force (Ima..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/reactionless-drive-space-propulsion-6.jpg" width="" /></div>
According to its inventor, US scientist Guido Fetta, the thruster 
works as a resonating cavity for microwave radiation. The cavity 
redirects the radiation pressure to create an unbalanced force, and that
 force produces a net thrust.<br />
<br />

In its study NASA didn't attempt to explain the phenomenon, and 
instead contented itself with verifying that the system did indeed 
generate a small amount of thrust, between 30 and 50 micro-Newtons. This
 is a tiny amount, only enough to levitate a mass of three to five 
milligrams (a few eyelashes) here on Earth; but, astonishingly, it is a 
net thrust nonetheless.<br />
<br />

"Test results indicate that the RF resonant cavity thruster design, 
which is unique as an electric propulsion device, is producing a force 
that is not attributable to any classical electromagnetic phenomenon and
 therefore is potentially demonstrating an interaction with the quantum 
vacuum virtual plasma," the study concludes.<br />
<br />

The system has many striking similarities with the EmDrive, designed 
by British aerospace engineer Roger Shawyer, although the explanation 
that Shawyer provides for the working mechanism is quite different from 
Fetta's or NASA's.<br />

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<img alt="According to one peer-reviewed paper, the EmDrive thruster was able to produce 720 mN of t..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/reactionless-drive-space-propulsion-4.jpg" width="" /></div>
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According
 to one peer-reviewed paper, the EmDrive thruster was able to produce 
720 mN of thrust from an electricity input of 2.5 kW (Photo: EmDrive)</div>
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"At first sight the idea of propulsion without propellant seems 
impossible," says Shawyer. "However, the technology is firmly anchored 
in the basic laws of physics and following an extensive review process, 
no transgressions of these laws have been identified."<br />
<br />

According to Shawyer, the thruster works because of relativistic 
effects: the microwaves are moving at a significant fraction of the 
speed of light at both ends of the resonator, and so, he claims, the 
resonator and the microwaves have two separate frames of reference, with
 the two forming an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermodynamic_system#Open_system" target="_Blank">open system</a> that ultimately doesn't violate the laws of physics, conservation of momentum included.<br />
<br />

The interesting thing about EmDrive is that, back in 2009, a Chinese 
peer-reviewed journal tested Shawyer's thruster design, registering 720 
mN of thrust at an input power of 2.5 kW. That's enough to make a tennis
 ball hover, and then some; in fact, if the results are confirmed, such 
levels of thrust would already be practical for satellitar applications.<br />
<br />

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<img alt="Salient characteristics of the EmDrive compared to a more conventional ion propulsion syst..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/reactionless-drive-space-propulsion-2.jpg" width="" /></div>
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Salient characteristics of the EmDrive compared to a more conventional ion propulsion system (Image: EmDrive)</div>
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The system could generate electricity from solar panels, and because 
it is much lighter than current thrusters, it could more than halve the 
weight launch of satellites, leading to very significant reductions in 
launch costs. A practical microwave thruster could also meaningfully 
extend the lifetime of satellites and pave the way for deep space 
robotic missions.<br />
<br />

Even beyond that, Shawyer claims that the second generation of his 
fuel-less thrusters, based on superconductor technology, will be capable
 of producing an impressive specific thrust of 30 kN per kW of input 
energy. "Thus for 1 kilowatt (typical of the power in a microwave oven) a
 static thrust of 3 tonnes (3.3 tons) can be obtained, which is enough 
to support a large car. This is clearly adequate for terrestrial 
transport applications."<br />
<br />

But before we start talking Sun-powered flying cars and weekend trips
 to Pluto, the scientific community will undoubtedly need to dissect the
 experiment with great care and independently verify whether the tiny 
net thrust reported by NASA could after all be attributed to some 
external cause that the researchers didn't account for.<br />

Sources: <a href="http://cannae.com/" target="_blank">Cannae</a>, <a href="http://emdrive.com/" target="_blank">EmDrive</a> via <a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-07/31/nasa-validates-impossible-space-drive" target="_Blank">Wired</a><br />
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NASA says puzzling new space drive can generate thrust without propellant

A NASA study has recently concluded that the "Cannae Drive," a disruptive new method of space propulsion, can p...

Blackmagic's drone-friendly Micro Cinema Camera ups the ante for aerial video

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             <img alt="Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera - light enough to fly on a compact quadcopter, but with an ..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/hero/blackmagic-micro-cinema-camera-bmcc-drone-aerial-action.jpg" title="Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera - light enough to fly on a compact quadcopter, but with an ..." /> </div>
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Blackmagic Design has just announced yet another disruptive pro video 
product – the US$995 Micro Cinema Camera. Weighing just 10 ounces (300 
grams), the BMCC is designed to be a GoPro killer action camera that 
puts an unprecedented level of control into a package small enough to be
 carried by a compact quadcopter. Here's a drone camera that will let 
you mount your choice of micro 4/3rds lenses, and control everything 
from focus to iris and even zoom from your remote control. Plus it will 
record everything in uncompressed CinemaDNG raw video for extreme 
editability in post production. The world of drone videography just got a
 lot richer</div>
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   <img alt="Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera - sample of a remote control setup." border="0" data-pic-id="329260" itemprop="contentURL" src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_lrg/blackmagic-micro-cinema-camera-bmcc-drone-aerial-action-0.png" title="Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera - sample of a remote control setup." />
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Blackmagic has been a disruptive force in the pro video market since the launch of its first Cinema Camera
 back in 2012. Now, the Australian-based company is setting its sights 
on action and drone videography with the announcement of the Micro 
Cinema Camera (BMCC), set to hit the market in June. </div>
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Unlike its action camera competition, the BMCC has an active micro 
4/3rds lens mount, so you've got access to a vast range of excellent 
glass, and even more if you use an adapter. And there's nothing on the 
market that's more expandable. S.Bus and PWM pins on the expansion port 
let you set up remote or wired camera controls for total flexibility so 
you can build a setup that allows you to control everything from 
exposure to focus and even zoom from a remote location. A stabilized 
drone camera with a remotely controlled zoom lens on it? Scary stuff.<br />
<br />
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   <img alt="Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera - compact dimensions but a massive degree of control" border="0" data-pic-id="329263" itemprop="contentURL" src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_lrg/blackmagic-micro-cinema-camera-bmcc-drone-aerial-action-3.jpg" title="Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera - compact dimensions but a massive degree of control" />
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It's very much a pro video tool. If you want to mount the BMCC on a 
drone, you'll have to bring your own lenses, stabilizing gimbal, 
wireless video transmitter, external monitor, and you'll have to work 
out how to get your camera control signals through to the camera itself 
through the expansion port. On the other hand, it runs on Canon LP-E6 
batteries common to DSLRs, and it mounts to anything with a standard 
1/4" camera thread, with mount points on the top and bottom of the 
camera.<br />
<br />
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   <img alt="Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera - using a video transmitter, live view can be sent to a mon..." border="0" data-pic-id="329266" itemprop="contentURL" src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_lrg/blackmagic-micro-cinema-camera-bmcc-drone-aerial-action-6.jpg" title="Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera - using a video transmitter, live view can be sent to a mon..." /> </div>
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Blackmagic is positioning the BMCC not only as a drone camera, but as
 a do-it-all action cam that can strap onto helmets, into cars and into 
hidden camera setups. Certainly the most exciting set of possibilities 
here is for stunning aerial footage though, with an unprecedented level 
of control in such a compact package – you won't need giant, heavy 
octocopters carrying massive cinema or DSLR cameras to capture pro-level
 aerial footage any more. And knowing how quickly Blackmagic tends to 
iterate, surely it won't be long until we see an upgraded version that 
handles 4K video and higher framerates. Very cool technology!<br />

The BMCC will begin popping up in June, with a retail price of US$995.<br />
<br />

Product page: <a href="https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicmicrocinemacamera" target="_blank">Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera</a><br />

Blackmagic's drone-friendly Micro Cinema Camera ups the ante for aerial video

Blackmagic Design has just announced yet another disruptive pro video product – the US$995 Micro Cinema Camera. Weighin...

Curiosity sniffs out signs of tiny water deposits on Mars

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             <img alt="Scientists have unearthed the first evidence that pools of water are developing on Mars to..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/hero/curiosity_water.jpg" title="Scientists have unearthed the first evidence that pools of water are developing on Mars to..." /> </div>
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There's plenty to suggest that water exists in various non-liquid forms on Mars, as well as signs that liquid water existed in the past,
 but now scientists have unearthed the first evidence that microscopic 
pools of water are developing and evaporating just below the surface of 
the Red Planet on a regular basis.<br />
<br />

The latest development can be traced back to the work of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander
 which touched down in 2008. Among the spacecraft's discoveries was the 
presence of perchlorate salts in the planet's soil. Long posited as an 
indication of transient liquids on Mars, these salts have now been 
identified as agents for water vapor absorption from the atmosphere, 
during certain seasons.<br />
<br />

Scientists arrived at this conclusion after observing more than a 
Martian year's (687 Earth days) worth of temperature and humidity 
measurements. This data suggests that under the right conditions, the 
water vapor is absorbed by the salts, which lowers its freezing 
temperature and ultimately turns it into a liquid, before evaporating 
after sunrise.<br />
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/curiosity-daily-water-deposits-mars/36973/pictures#2" target="_blank"><img alt="NASA's Curiosity Rover following a drilling operation on Mars earlier this year (Photo: NA..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/curiosity_water-1.jpg" width="" /></a></div>
This process is known as deliquescence and hinges on the levels of 
relative humidity in the air just above the ground. When this relative 
humidity passes a certain threshold, the perchlorate salts absorb enough
 water molecules to become liquid.<br />
<br />

These super-salty microscopic puddles are said to exist within the 
Gale Crater, which the Curiosity rover has been exploring since 2012. 
The researchers say that even with liquid brines underneath the surface,
 the chilly environment here almost rules out the possibility of 
microbial life, but their presence could be indicative of something 
equally as valuable.<br />
<br />

"Conditions near the surface of present-day Mars are hardly favorable
 for microbial life as we know it, but the possibility for liquid brines
 on Mars has wider implications for habitability and geological 
water-related processes," says Javier Martin-Torres of the Spanish 
Research Council, member of Curiosity's science team and the paper's 
lead author.<br />
<br />

The Gale Crater is located near the Martian equator and scientists 
believe that colder conditions at higher latitudes, where perchlorate 
salts have also been detected, could better lend themselves to the 
deliquescence process.<br />
<br />

"Gale Crater is one of the least likely places on Mars to have 
conditions for brines to form, compared to sites at higher latitudes or 
with more shading," Alfred McEwen, co-author of the paper. "So if brines
 can exist there, that strengthens the case they could form and persist 
even longer at many other locations."<br />

The findings were published in the journal <em><a href="http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ngeo2412.html" target="_blank">Nature Geoscience</a></em>.<br />

Curiosity sniffs out signs of tiny water deposits on Mars

There's plenty to suggest that water exists in various non-liquid forms on Mars, as well as signs that liquid water e...

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge

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             <img alt="Gizmag reviews the better-looking version of the best phone you can buy, the Samsung Galax..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/hero/galaxy-s6-edge-review-16.jpg" title="Gizmag reviews the better-looking version of the best phone you can buy, the Samsung Galax..." /></div>
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The Galaxy S6 edge is almost exactly the same phone as the Galaxy S6.
 Nearly all their specs are the same, and we have the same outstanding 
display, performance, camera and glass/aluminum build. It does have a 
slightly larger battery, which leads to slightly longer battery life (in
 our video streaming test, it dropped 10 percent per hour, compared to 
11 percent per hour for the regular Galaxy S6).<br />
<br />

We aren't going to repeat ourselves too much, so when you're done here we'd recommend you hop on over to our Galaxy S6 review for a more in-depth look at the features that are identical on both phones.<br />
<br />
<br />
The big difference with the Galaxy S6 edge is its dual curved screen,
 or, as Samsung calls it, "Edge Screen." Both sides of that 5.1-in 
display taper off and bleed into the sides of the phone.<br />

If this sounds familiar, that's because Samsung did something similar with last year's Galaxy Note Edge. Only with the Note version, the screen only curved off on <em>one</em>
 side, leading to this odd asymmetrical look (it also had a sharper 
curve than the GS6 edge has). Samsung was also selling the Note's Edge 
Display as more of a functional advantage, for things like launching 
apps, viewing notifications and scrolling news feeds. It was a tough 
sell.<br />

With the Galaxy S6 edge, it's more about looks. And we're just fine with that.<br />

When companies try to sell customers on the supposed practical 
advantages of curved displays, whether in TVs or smartphones, we find 
that it rings a little hollow. It's a bit like a solution in search of a
 problem. Based on our experience, today's curved screens have some 
novelty appeal, but aren't going to change your life in any significant 
way.<br />
<br />
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<img alt="A look at one side of the double-curved display on the GS6 edge (Photo: Will Shanklin/Gizm..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/galaxy-s6-edge-review-17.jpg" width="" /></div>
<br />So we have no problem when companies cut to the chase and use curved 
screens to do one simple thing: make their products look cool. There's 
no shame in that, so why not embrace it? Samsung has done more of that 
this time around, and the result is a <em>stunning</em> smartphone.<br />

When you're holding the Galaxy S6 edge, the curves feel smooth in 
hand – taking an already slick design to a new level of polish. But the 
screen itself also looks incredibly sharp, with that dense Quad HD 
display (right now, the best phone display in the business) jumping out 
even more when it tapers off into those sloped edges.<br />

The Galaxy S6 edge is unapologetic mobile eye candy taken to the 
extreme. If you've ever wondered what the point of curved displays is, 
this is the best answer we've found. When they look this good, that's 
all the justification you need.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<img alt="You can (optionally) view notification info, like time, weather and news feeds on the Edge..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/galaxy-s6-edge-review-14.jpg" width="" /> </div>
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That's the big question we're looking at here. Do you go with the 
Galaxy S6 – basically the same phone minus curved edges – for US$100 
less? Or do you hand over that extra Benjamin for a little more visual 
and visceral appeal?<br />

With the Note Edge, we found that premium hard to justify – mostly 
because the phone didn't look much (if at all) better than the regular Galaxy Note 4.
 It also had a smaller screen than the Note 4, with the Edge Display 
isolated from normal app content (on the Galaxy S6 edge, meanwhile, your
 app content <em>uses</em> the curve, which we think looks much better).<br />

With the Galaxy S6 version, we think the Edge variant is worth 
considering. And, again, it simply comes down to gadget sex appeal.<br />
<br />
The Galaxy S6 edge launches this Friday, April 10, for around $750 
full retail (that part varies from carrier to carrier) and $300 
on-contract.<br />

Product page: <a href="http://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/galaxys6/galaxy-s6-edge/" target="_blank">Samsung</a><br />
<br />
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Samsung Galaxy S6 edge

The Galaxy S6 edge is almost exactly the same phone as the Galaxy S6. Nearly all their specs are the same, and we have th...

NASA says puzzling new space drive can generate thrust without propellant

Blackmagic's drone-friendly Micro Cinema Camera ups the ante for aerial video

Curiosity sniffs out signs of tiny water deposits on Mars

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge

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