Blue Origin’s Surprise Rocket Launch and Safe Landing

Blue Origin Launched Un-crewed Rocket in Space & Back on Earth

The Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has announced that his rocket company Blue Origin has launched an un-crewed rocket to the edge of the space prior to landing it back on Earth. The rocket had performed a surprising and a historic rocket launch and landing from their facility in Van Horn, Texas. A video had revealed how the launch vehicle had reached the edge of space before it returned back to Earth in a controlled landing.

In a statement, Bezos had mentioned that `rockets have always been expendable but not anymore. Safely tucked away at their launch site in west Texas is the rarest of beast, a used rocket. Blue Origin’s reusable New Shepard space vehicle had flown a flawless mission, soaring to 329,839 feet and returned through 119-mph high altitude crosswinds making a gentle controlled landing just four and a half feet from the centre of the pad.

Fuel reuse is a game changer and we can’t wait to fuel up and fly again’. The launch vehicle and the firm’s New Shepard capsule had reached an altitude of around 100 kilometres before separating. It had deployed its parachutes, drifting to the rocket while the rocket utilised controlled firings to descend before deploying its landing leg for a successful return.

Reusable Rockets – Important Development for Space Travel

The rocket had travelled significantly, to a height which was officially beyond the boundary space of 100 kilometres high known as the Karman line, making it the first rocket to land successfully after journeying to space.

This is the second surprise test of Blue Origin’s New Shepard capsule and launch vehicle, this year after a launch in April and due to loss of hydraulic pressure it meant that Blue Origin would not recover the rocket for that flight.

This competition has placed the firm in direct competition with SpaceX that had conducted successful ground landings from altitude of 1 kilometre and is now making efforts in landing its Falcon 9 rocket on barges in the sea once they tend to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. Reusable rockets have been viewed as an important development for space travel and it is said that reusable rockets could be bringing down the cost of space flight with the provision of new opportunities.

Blue Origin – Opened Important Space Tourism Avenues

Presently all rockets are expendable which means that new one need to be built for every launch. SpaceX and Blue Origin are making attempt to develop reusable rockets so that the same equipment could be utilised again and again thereby decreasing the cost of going to space. This has opened up important space tourism avenues for Blue Origin.

As for SpaceX, they are more dedicated in getting humans and equipment in orbit. So far, Blue Origin has launched its capsules without a crew, however in the video of the launch, it shows a reproduction of what paying passengers would one day tend to enjoy. The vehicle tends to carry six people who would enjoy four minutes of weightlessness and sight of the Earth from space. Bezos comments that they `are building Blue Origin to seed an enduring human presence in space in order to move beyond this blue planet which is the origin of all that we know’.

Graphene Microphone Could Pick Up Sounds beyond Human Hearing

Graphene Designed Microphone – Amazing Detection Quality

Latest designed microphone of graphene which is 32 times more sensitive than conventional microphones have been invented by researchers which has amazing sound detection qualities. Graphene which is one of the thinnest, lightest, strongest as well as the most conductive materials ever known comprises of a single layer of carbon atoms that are arranged in a honeycomb structure.

Its adaptability enables it to support possibly a wide variety of application in electronics which include flexible displays, wearable and other next-generation electronic devices. Having the strength of some of the present day best microphones, graphene based devices has the potential to detect a range of audible frequencies. As per a paper published by the University of Belgrade in Serbia in the journal 2D materials, the microphone membrane is said to be built by amassing 60 layers, which is a single layer of carbon atoms in hexagonal pattern.

 It substitutes nickel, a traditional material for commercial microphones. Author of the paper, Marko Spasenovic, informed Engineering and Technology magazine that they wanted to show that graphene though a relatively new material has the capability for real world application. Known for its light weight, high mechanical strength as well as flexibility, graphene can be utilised as an acoustic membrane material’.

Development in Infancy Stage

While the development is at its infancy stage, the graphene microphone tends to pick up sounds at 15 decibels level which is higher than the commercial devices at frequencies of up to 11 kHz. A virtual microphone of 300 layers of graphene was then stimulated by the researchers instead of the 60 layered one which they had already built and found that the enhanced version had the potential of picking up sounds at ultrasonic frequencies up to 1 MHz, 50 times greater than the upper limit of human hearing at 20 KHz.

 Due to their research, scientists are of the belief that this is only the beginning for the graphene based microphone. This technology could be utilised to pick up sounds which we presently cannot hear like bats chirping or to converse through materials such as steel that electromagnetic waves are unable to penetrate. Layers of graphene onto nickel foil were grown by the researcher and later the nickel was removed leaving only the graphene behind. Thereafter the graphene sheet was then placed in a conventional microphone where it acted as a diaphragm, a membrane which tends to pick up sound vibrations.

Limiting Aspect of Commercial Graphene Microphone – Cost

Main limiting aspect in the creation of a commercial graphene microphone is the cost and seems to be excessively expensive to manufacture large sheets of graphene. Marko Spasenovic has stated that at this stage, there seems to be several hurdles in making cheap graphene and hence the microphone should be considered more of proof of concept and the industry are working hard in improving graphene production. Ultimately we could have better microphones at lower cost.

 The researchers across the globe are presently attempting to bring down the cost of graphene production. At Manchester University, a £61, National Graphene Institute had been opened in March 2015 where the `wonder material’ was initially isolated. There have been over 11,300 graphene related patents, all over the world. Several applications have been defined for a variety of technologies right from super strong bendy mobile phone screens to quicker computer chips as well as broadband and revolutionary and high performance batteries.

Smartphone Connected to the Best Mobile Network

Mobile Internet use has surged in the last four years to surpass online browsing from personal computers. So it makes sense that modern cyber criminals are turning their attention to mobile malware. Given the risk it poses to the security of your mobile device, you should too.

Mobile malware describes malicious software designed to impact cell phones and tablets. It can take many forms, including spyware, ransomware, adware, and Trojans, which infiltrate mobile devices via their Internet browsers or application stores. IT security firm Sophos says that nearly all mobile malware aims to make money, so cybercriminals aren’t just targeting the devices of mobile users; they’re also targeting their wallets.

But there are ways to keep your mobile device safe, whether it’s a tablet using a Wi-Fi hotspot or a smartphone connected to the T-Mobile network. As this infographic explains, keeping your mobile device and software up-to-date, only installing apps from trusted sources, checking app permission lists, and only clicking on links in secure browsers can minimize the risks of malware infection. Antivirus apps can also protect your device from threats. Despite their effectiveness, it’s troubling to note that, according to research firm IDC, just 5 percent of smartphones and tablets have any kind of antivirus application installed.

Approximately 16 million mobile devices were attacked by mobile malware in 2014, up 75 percent from 2013. We can only guess how many mobile users will become mobile malware victims this year. But there is hope. This informative infographic will help you remove any mobile malware that’s infected your device. Follow the advice in this step-by-step guide carefully to remove the malicious software before it can damage your device and compromise your security. Then make sure to adopt the techniques suggested to keep your mobile device safe and prevent reinfection.

Facebook Scams Spreading Like Wildfire

Facebook Scams Flourishing

Presently three specific Facebook Scams are flourishing and even smart people are falling prey to it. There’s a whimsical deal such as you purchase a $10 holiday gift and sent to one person and you get up to 36 gifts back in return. No one would want to miss out on such types of gifts.

This generous offer has come up, courtesy of something known as the `secret sisters gift exchange’. There seems to be similar post doing the round which is focused on a book exchange for kids, though the basic idea seems the same. The instructions provide details of a classic two-deep pyramid scheme wherein you start by sending a gift to the first secret sister and thereafter you move the second secret sister to the first place. You send the instructions to six other females and the process goes on and on.

 Towards the end, you are promised gifts in a two weeks’ time. You need to stop right there since with each level, more people are needed to keep the thing going. By the time you tend to hit the 11th position, the whole population of the US will have to participate in order to make it work.

Pyramid Schemes - Illegal

At the fourth or the fifth position, the odds of getting a single gift in return after even sending one seems bleak.Moreover, the pyramid schemes are illegal and one may end up being fined or imprisoned since the federal government and several states as per the laws are against these types of schemes.

In order to avoid this type of scam one should be aware that anyone offering large return on any investment would be duping you. You should bear in mind that one cannot get something for nothing even if the idea sounds appealing. Should a person receive a message from a friend on Facebook stating that they have won $30,000 lottery on Facebook, they need to be careful and alert.

If a friend informs that they have won some money and you too can win the same, the best thing to be done is to call or email the person and get the facts from them. Avoid sending money to someone promising to get money or a prize back. This is known as `advanced fee’ scam which never ends well. One should avoid wiring money to anyone since once the money is wired; there is no hope of getting it back.

Hackers Use Friend’s Facebook to Dupe

A similar incident had occurred to a woman in Nevada and to several others around the country. In the case of Nevada, a person by the name Theresa Paddock contacted a woman to inform her that she had won the lottery and to get hold of her money she had to wire $150 for insurance coverage together with other fees.

The woman did so but did not get her winning amount. On the contrary an unknown man began contacting her, trying to extract more money. The same scam occurred in Indiana to a woman who in this case wiredan amount of $850 and was then asked to send more to get an even bigger prize. The hackers had taken over her friends’ Facebook page and utilised their relationship in order to dupe her. The victims in both the cases will, in no way tend to get their money back.

A Row Bot that Loves Dirty Water

Row-bot/Robot Feeds on Rich Organic Matter in Dirty Water

Swimming in the sea or a pool of polluted water could be unsafe though aquatic organism like water boatman would need the nutrients in polluted water to feed on. Researchers at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory – BRL have been motivation by the water beetles and other swimming insects and have developed the Row-bot, a type or a robot which tends to thrive in dirty water.

The Row-bot imitates the way the water boatman move and the way which it tends to feed on rich organic matter in the dirty water in which it swims. The purpose of the Row-bot project is focused to develop an autonomous swimming robot which is capable of operating indefinitely in remote unstructured areas by huntingits energy from the environment. When it tends to get hungry, the Row-bot opens it soft robotic mouth and rows forward to fill its microbial fuel cell – MFC, stomach with nutrient rich dirty water.

Thereafter it tends to close its mouth and the nutrients are gradually digested. The MFC stomach utilises the bio-degradation of organic substanceto generate electricity using bio-inspired mechanisms. When it has been recharged its electrical energy stores, the Row-bot then rows off to another new area for another drink of dirty water.

Row-bot – Environmental Clean-up Operation of Contaminants

The Row-bot had been developed at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory in collaboration between the University of Bristol and UWE Bristol by PhD student, Hemma Philamore together with her PhD supervisors, Professor Jonathan Rossiter from the University of Bristol’s Department of Engineering Mathematics and Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos from the Bristol Bio-Energy Centre at the University of the West of England. Professor of Robotics at the University of Bristol and BRL, Jonathan Rossiter informed that the work shows a vital step in the progress of autonomous robots with the potential of long-term self-power. Several of the robots tend to need re-charging or refuelling and often need human assistance.

A PhD student, Hemma Philamore stated that they anticipate Row-bot to be used in environmental clean-up operations of contaminants like oil spills as well as harmful algal bloom and also in long term autonomous environmental monitoring of harmful environments, for instance those which were hit by natural as well as man-made disasters.

Combination of Two Systems – Bio-Inspired Energy Source/Bio-Inspired Actuation

The sample robot combines two systems namely a bio-inspired energy source and bio-inspired actuation. While the first subsystem portrays the power generations potential of the robot, the second duplicate system begins the refuelling process, moving the robot with an energy needed which is less than the energy that is generated by the first system.

 This has been achieved by feeding of the chemical energy contained in its surrounding liquid to support microbial metabolism within the MFC.Imitating the water boatman’s mechanism of feeding that works on a broad beaklike mouth to sweep in the liquid as well as suspended particulate matter, the Row-bot tends to feed its MFC stomach on opening and closing the mouth life orifice at each end of the MFC by bending of a flexible acetate envelope structure.

On utilising both of these systems, the robot tends to be totally independent in the water with the provision of enough energy available in the liquid.