A Plastic Motor Just Defied a Century of Engineering Assumptions

Electrostatic forces enable low-voltage actuation without relying on rare earth materials. Nearly every electric motor in modern life, from the fan on your desk to the motor in an electric vehicle, relies on magnetism. For more than a century, magnetic fields have dominated motor design because electrostatic forces were considered too weak for practical machines…Continue Reading

NASA is paying $30 million for a 1st-of-its-kind rescue mission to the aging Swift telescope before it falls from space. Is it worth it?

(Image credit: NASA/Katalyst Space) On paper, it seems like the math would be clear. A nearly 22-year-old space telescope, well past its prime, is falling out of space after decades of hunting the biggest explosions in the universe. Rest in peace, right? After all, it would cost NASA $30 million to save the telescope Continue Reading

SpaceX StarShip 40 Progressing to a Static Fire

Home » Energy » SpaceX StarShip 40 Progressing to a Static Fire Spacex Starship 40 rolled out to Massey’s on June 23–24. It successfully completed an engine igniter test on June 24. Today, SpaceX has been doing multiple propellant loading cycles as part of the static fire campaign. There was an earlier attempt (or seriesContinue Reading