Remote-control robots could help humanity explore the moon and Mars

Teleoperated rovers could soon be working on the moon, with human controllers on Earth manipulating the rovers’ tools virtually, allowing for greater dexterity when taking samples, digging or assembling. Researchers from the robotics laboratory at the University of Bristol in England have tested their new teleoperations system at the European Space Agency‘s (ESA) European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications at Harwell in Oxfordshire. By controlling a virtual simulation of a rover, they were able to manipulate a robotic arm to dig a sample of pretend lunar regolith (called simulant).…

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‘Edge of Space’ director Jean de Meuron on his X-15 film and having ‘the right stuff’ (exclusive)

Soaring in with the unbridled spirit of classics like director Philip Kaufman’s “The Right Stuff,” a new short film making the festival rounds and being submitted for Oscar contention is indie filmmaker Jean de Meuron’s “Edge of Space.”  This 18-minute cinematic flight starring Chad Michael Collins is a thrilling leap into the wild blue yonder. It offers an absorbing glimpse into NASA’s X-15 rocket plane, which flew from 1959 to 1968, and we’ve got an exclusive high-altitude clip to share. That legendary hypersonic rocket-propelled aircraft was an experimental marvel drop-launched…

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Blowing up: Inflatable space habitats could be key to exploring the solar system

It’s high time to crank up the volume in space! That’s the shout from several private firms that want to see an inflation factor for the future. What is now being evaluated and tested is the use of “softgoods” to fashion inflatable/expandable airlocks and off-Earth habitats, not only for low Earth orbit, but also to provide comfy housing for future moon and Mars explorers. First, however, there’s a memory lane trip about this idea worth taking, one that also underscores how far things have evolved. NASA’s Echo balloon project in…

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