Hello, and welcome to The Edge, the newsletter that brings you groundbreaking stories from the frontiers of technology and science.
We’ve got some great stories for you today including NASA’s close-up look of an asteroid falling apart, a portable laundry dryer and ‘Flying V’ aeroplanes. As always, we’ve added extra stories under each article should you find yourself in a curious state of mind.
Flight like never before
An incredibly exciting prototype. Image credit: TU Delft
Engineers Test Jetliner Where You Ride in the Wings
Everyone sort of knows what an aeroplane looks like, right? They’re long and tube-shaped with wings sticking out from the side and passengers seated in rows down the fuselage. Well, a new player has come along to challenge that classic aeroplane shape we know and love.
An experimental jetliner known as the Flying V has now taken flight for the first time. What makes this jetliner different is that the passengers are seated in the wings of the plane. Yes, the wings.
The plane’s remarkable design means that it’s 20% more fuel-efficient than the most advanced planes currently in existence. Of course, considering the unusual and experimental design of the plane, how well it would work in practice is hard to say. Additionally, it should be pointed out that the launch was done with a scaled-down model of the plane, not the full-size version.
The successful test flight is still a huge achievement - even the plane’s engineers were worried about how the plane would perform. According to Roelof Vos, a propulsion researcher at Delft University of Technology, “One of our worries was that the aircraft might have some difficulty lifting-off since previous calculations had shown that ‘rotation’ could be an issue. The team optimized the scaled flight model to prevent the issue. But you need to fly to know for sure.”
The main issue that the team encountered during the flight was “somewhat of a rough landing”, according to Vos.
The future of air travel.
Today is…
…the International Day for South-South Cooperation.
The International Day for South-South Cooperation commemorates the date when the UN general assembly adopted the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries.
The plan was adopted in 1978 and was designed to increase development in and cooperation between southern hemisphere nations.
2020 marks the 42nd anniversary of the plan’s adoption.
A little bit of UN history.
Quick science
Other incredible stories from the world of science and technology
Do you run a private company that happens to have some moon dirt for sale? NASA wants to buy it off you.
Colours can evoke feelings. Turns out, they evoke similar feelings across the globe.
Huge space cameras can be used to photograph vegetables, too.
Asteroids are frail things
Unprecedented detail. Image credit: NASA
NASA Got an Up-Close Look at an Asteroid Crumbling Apart
For the first time ever, NASA has managed to get a close look at an asteroid as it flew past, leaving a trail of debris behind it.
OSIRIS-REx, which is the NASA spacecraft launched to observe the Bennu asteroid, learned that the asteroid sheds rocks, particles and other pieces of itself regularly, according to a recently-released series of papers. The discovery marks the first-ever close-up study of asteroid ejections, which has given scientists a yet-unseen view of an asteroid as it hurtles through space.
The rock and debris trail was discovered almost by accident. While going over images of the constellations OSIRIS-REx takes to orient itself in space, lead author and University of Arizona planetary scientist Carl Hergenrother noticed that there seemed to be a huge number of extra stars in the images. Upon closer inspection, he realised it was a trail left by Bennu.
NASA is confident that the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is fine and fully operational despite being as close as it was to Bennu.
How satellites work.
Video of the week
“Is The Metric System Actually Better?”
It’s a debate as old as time itself - metric or imperial? Real Engineering uploaded this fascinating video back in August which covers history, usage and other interesting aspects of the two systems. Whichever system you use, the video is great entertainment for those wishing to learn a little bit more about the two measurement systems which have come to dominate the globe.
Space.com’s ‘Image of the Day’
Space.com is a wonderful website choc-full of news and developments about space. Aside from well-written, consistent articles and stories, they also run their ‘Image of the Day’ segment.
Every day, the people behind Space.com select one picture that they’ve voted as the most jaw-dropping space-related photo of the day. And believe us when we say, they release stunning photos every day, without fail. The pictures are high-quality, relevant and beautiful - we cannot recommend checking the segment out enough.
Laundry on the go
Portability, defined. Image credit: SoraNews24
Portable Dryer - A Small Gadget for Small Pieces
Thanko, a Tokyo-based gadget maker, has just released it’s latest gadget - a small, portable clothes dryer.
The device is small - really small. Reminiscent of a small robot, the device weighs around 500 grams or 1.1 pounds and measures 30 centimetres when set up. Operation is simple - plug it into a socket and you’re good to. Setup of the device is simple as well. However, as with any exciting piece of technology, there is a caveat. In this instance, the size of the device is also its limitation. It can dry small items of clothing quite well, but larger items are a bigger challenge. Furthermore, results weren’t always consistent.
Despite all this, frequent travellers and people living in small, balcony-less apartments might benefit from the device, known as the Parasol Dry Hanger. If you happen to get your hands on one, please let us know how it works out for you.
Gadgets for the ages.
What we’ve been reading
A small selection of the articles we read this week.
North Korean Hackers Steal Billions in Cryptocurrency. How do They Turn it Into Real Cash?
Big Electronic Human-Energized Machine… Only Too Heavy (1989-1992)
If Management Isn’t a Promotion, Then Engineering Isn’t a Demotion
Thanks for reading!
We hope you enjoyed this edition of The Edge.
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