But it is nothing like you’d imagine it to be.
Nasa is going back to the Moon! But this time, things will be a little different, not just because they are building a lunar base, but also because they are commissioning private companies like SpaceX to build and supply it. The base itself is also an utterly ground breaking piece of space infrastructure that will develop tech that could, one day, open up lunar industries, Martian missions and even crewed missions to other celestial bodies. Welcome to the Artemis program, NASA’s bid to win our new-era space race.
Mars is a dump compared to the treasure that lies a little further out.
You may have noticed that Elon Musk really likes Mars. He wants us to colonise it and has even gone as far as to state that he wants to die on the planet. But why Mars? It is a toxic environment with little to offer us. But, orbiting a little further away are mini-worlds, far more enticing than the rusty red planet. These mini-worlds are collectively known as the asteroid belt, and despite what Musk might tell you, they are our best shot at an off-world colony.
Before we dive into the cosmic cornucopia in the belt, why is Mars…
Buried for milenia under ancient ice hides a voracious monster
Climate change is scary, the mega crap that awaits us in a few short decades is enough to make us dread the passing of the years. But we might not be around when the repercussions of our global pillage descend, because we may have unleashed something biblically deadly in the meantime. Hidden under ancient ice lie creatures capable of wiping out civilisations and eradicating entire species. We are slowly setting them free on the world once again, and the first casualties have already fallen. Prepare yourself for the frightening reality of ancient frozen pathogens.
It takes a lot to turn the red planet blue.
Elon Musk has been drooling at the mouth over Mars for years now, and as Starship develops into a functioning rocket, he gets closer to his dream of landing on the red planet. But Musk wants more; he wants to terraform Mars so that a human society can thrive on the surface without spacesuits and pressurised domes. He has claimed you can do this purely by detonating some nuclear bombs at the poles, which sadly won’t work (see my article Is Elon Right? Should We Nuke Mars?). But if Musk took the task seriously, could he actually terraform Mars?
We…
It turns out you can polish a turd!
By now, most of us know just how horrific climate change will be, not only for life on Earth, but also for us and our children. Biblical droughts, floods, plagues and famines are just the start. We need to undo our mess and put this planet back together, but that is far easier said than done. However, we may have found a perfect weapon against this self-made nemesis, the largest poos on the planet! I’m not talking about my Dad, although he comes close, I’m talking about whales. …
But not in the way you think…
We have all had that moment when it feels like a cat is plotting to kill us. For me, it was a tabby named Clarence. He still haunts my dreams. But, it turns out that your cat might actually kill you! Their devious plan is to influence your mind into becoming a risk-taker with high levels of anxiety, eventually causing a deadly accident, depression or even suicide. This isn’t a feline Jedi mind trick, it’s a parasite, and there is a good chance that you have it. …
The incredible story of the man who found Pluto and eventually travelled to the little world
Pluto is a freezing minuscule ex-planet (now dwarf planet) over five billion kilometres away. We now know of its icy mountains, radioactive core, possible sub-surface ocean and heart shaped crater thanks to the New Horizons probe. But it wasn’t just New Horizons who flew past this distant, mysterious world. There was also a man on his way to being buried in the stars. This is the extraordinary story of Clyde Tombaugh.
Can Musk make a faster, cheaper, more eco-friendly alternative to the aeroplane?
Elon Musk tends to revolutionise industries; just look at PayPal, Tesla and SpaceX. Is he poised to do the same thing with the aviation industry? And are his plans to send us to Mars just a marketing trick to kick start this Earthbound take over?
In 2019 the global Aviation industry produced 915 million tonnes of carbon dioxide which accounts for roughly 2% of the global human carbon emissions. This is a vast portion of our collective footprint. To make matters worse, jet technology is struggling to adapt to green alternatives. …
They might not even be holes at all!
Black holes are mysterious and weird objects at the best of times. Despite this, we have observed them devouring stars, bumping into each other and even ‘burping’. But despite the wealth of data we have on these extreme objects, we only understand a tiny slice of their workings. For example, the mathematics we use to describe them appear to break physics! Not only does this add to their mystery, but it has lead many scientists to wonder if we are barking up the wrong cosmic tree when it comes to black holes. But, what if it turns out that they…
Game changing Martian rover tech is already making a difference to you and me.
NASA’s 2020 program to get the Perseverance rover on Mars’ surface cost $2.4 billion and will cost a further $300 million in operations over the next two years. This outrageous amount of money has many people scratching their heads asking if the mission is worth the cost? But, as history shows us, pioneering technology never exists in isolation. Flat-screen monitors, IR ear thermometers, scratch-resistant lenses, baby food, CMOS cameras, solar cells, radial tires, aeroplane anti-freeze systems, artificial hearts and invisible braces all came from space technology. …
Will Lockett
Science writer of space, environment, and technology. I show you the wonders and terrors of our universe & its future. Follow me at www.facebook.com/welockett
