| EPFL's CleanSpace One: clearing up cosmic clutter (video) Feb 16th 2012, 19:02 | Where are Lone Starr and Barf when you need'em? Would that those two (fictional) interstellar handymen-for-hire were real, space agencies like Switzerland's own, could outsource the tricky and costly intergalactic housekeeping that's fast becoming a high-priority. Instead, the famously neutral country is investing 10 million Swiss francs (about $10.8 million USD) into the production of a new breed of satellites dedicated to the collection and destruction of orbital debris. The project, dubbed CleanSpace One, will tackle one of two Swiss-borne, celestial objects -- the SwissCube or Tiasat -- for its initial mission, slated for some time within the next three to five years. While our very own NASA has proposed the use of a laser to redirect these non-operational and potentially hazardous craft, the brains over at EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute for Technology) are in the process of developing a micro-electric propulsion system, in addition to a retrieval mechanism for the unit. So, what'll happen to both this outer space Rosie and her doomed cargo? Well, rather unfortunately, it's a suicide mission, as both are destined for burn-up on re-entry. Yes, it's a rather grim end to an otherwise noble voyage, but such is the price of our scientific spring cleaning. Continue reading EPFL's CleanSpace One: clearing up cosmic clutter (video) EPFL's CleanSpace One: clearing up cosmic clutter (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  USA Today |  EPFL | Email this | Comments | | GENIE rocket system does smooth VTOL, lateral flight, cheap trips to Mars (video) Feb 16th 2012, 18:41 | NASA can't just park up in the middle of space and rely on Robotnaut 2 for its entertainment. Actually, it probably can, but at some point the urge to explore new worlds will become too strong to resist. That's when it'll need a suborbital rocket guidance system like the GENIE ("Guidance Embedded Navigator Integration Environment"), which transforms a flood of sensory data into reliable and autonomous maneuvers. Fortunately, the system's economics make a whole lot more sense than its name, which is why NASA is depending on technology like this to control the next generation of affordable and reusable space craft. The test flight shown after the break can only boost GENIE's chances: it took a Xombie rocket up to 160 feet and then made it fly laterally for another 160 feet before landing with a degree of swagger that makes the previous flight in 2010 look plain rickety. Continue reading GENIE rocket system does smooth VTOL, lateral flight, cheap trips to Mars (video) GENIE rocket system does smooth VTOL, lateral flight, cheap trips to Mars (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Wired | Draperlaboratory (YouTube) | Email this | Comments | | IRL: Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones, Speck SeeThru Satin and the Nokia N800 Feb 16th 2012, 18:22 | Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment.
Of this week's IRL contributors, two have already tried out that replacement for iChat. For the purposes of this column, though, all three are waxing on about something very old, at least by early adopter standards. For starters, James still get the warm-and-fuzzies holding his Nokia N800 Internet Tablet, despite its crawling page load times. Joe, our resident audio guru, explains why he tosses a reference to Bowers & Wilkins' P5 into almost every one of his headphone reviews. And the object of Mat's affection -- a laptop skin -- slipped under our radar when it came out over a year ago. So is James actually still using that N800? What's Joe's obsession with B&W? And why would anyone spend $50 on a notebook prophylactic? Read on to find out. Continue reading IRL: Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones, Speck SeeThru Satin and the Nokia N800 IRL: Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones, Speck SeeThru Satin and the Nokia N800 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | RIM to release BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 on February 21st? (updated) Feb 16th 2012, 18:02 | By now, you've seen all that RIM's 2.0 software update for the PlayBook is prepared to give -- just not in your own hands. But that could all very well change if news of a February 21st release date, supposedly confirmed by the lips of Waterloo's own during an early morning webcast, prove true. According to BerryReview's sources, the roll out is purportedly scheduled for next Tuesday, falling neatly in line with earlier reports that it would hit users' slates sometime later this month. So, if you've been clinging to that understated tab and looking forward to an OS-future populated by a native email client, address book, BlackBerry Bridge enhancements and social networking integration, well, it appears your dreams are about to come true. Update: Looks like the reports were too good to be true. A rep from RIM has clarified that while no specific date has yet been announced, the 2.0 update is still on track for a February release. RIM to release BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 on February 21st? (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink N4BB | BerryReview | Email this | Comments | |
