Hasta La Gadget!

Americans like to tease Canadians about their colorful (and often animal-themed) money, but we think the tables might just have turned. When the Bank of Canada issues a new $5 polymer bill this November, one side will include both the Canadarm2 and Dextre manipulator robots in tribute to the nation’s work on both the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. Let that sink in for a moment: a country’s currency will reference space robots alongside the usual politicians. The only thing dampening the awesomeness is the irony of it all, as it’s an ode to technology in a format that’s being destroyed by technology. Still, we’ll consider the $5 note a victory for geeks everywhere when we’re buying a box of Timbits.

Filed under: Robots, Transportation

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Source: Bank of Canada

Virgin Galactic has certainly come a long way since it announced its intention to the world a few years ago, where even Sir Richard Branson himself would fly into space to conduct a wedding ceremony for a couple who would want a truly unique wedding, and here we are in 2013 with the SpaceShipTwo that has managed to achieve its first rocket-powered flight, dripped in success, of course. The test flight that happened on April 12, 2013 proved to be a key milestone in advancing the SpaceShipTwo’s first rocket powered flight, having arrived at supersonic speeds to ensure a smooth journey toward commercial flights sometime down the road.

The SpaceShipTwo space plane was carried aloft by mothership WhiteKnightTwo, where it was then released in mid-air at an altitude of approximately 46,000 feet, which proved to be the point where SpaceShipTwo sent its rocket engine to work, helping propel the craft all the way up to space after that. Virgin Galactic president and CEO George Whitesides said, “We will now embark on a handful of similar powered flight tests, and then make our first test flight to space.”

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Ethiopian Airlines First To Start Boeing 787 Dreamliner Commercial Flights, Twizy Renault Sport F1 Concept,

We’ve seen electric off-roaders tackle the Dakar Rally, but racing on the Baja peninsula has proven elusive — until this weekend. After driving in smaller races, SRI’s EV1 has joined the big leagues by starting in NORRA’s Mexican 1000 rally. The 535HP, 400kW open-wheeler has participated in at least the first trio of special stages, and it will ideally join a handful of further stages that fit within the vehicle’s 100-mile range. While the EV1 is far from the front of the Evolution class, at 36th place as of this writing, winning isn’t the point — SRI wants to drum up enough funding to hot-swap batteries and complete every stage in future races. Its project should at least be proof that smaller EVs can thrive in some of the world’s harshest racing conditions.

Filed under: Transportation

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Via: Autoblog

Source: SRD (Facebook), SRI, NORRA

No, you’re not looking at an early preview of Star Wars Episode VII — it just might represent the future of air transport, though. Boeing has spent years developing a truly quiet supersonic airliner concept, the Icon II, and what you see is an aerodynamics test of a mockup in a vaguely Death Star-like wind tunnel at NASA’s Glenn Research Center. The starfighter design is for more than just show, as you’d suspect. Its V-tail design moves sonic booms further back, reducing the chance that shockwaves will reach the ground (and our ears) intact, while the top-mounted engines isolate engine noise. Boeing and NASA are ultimately hoping for production passenger aircraft discreet enough to fly over land at supersonic speeds, although we can’t help but think that the sci-fi look is a convenient bonus.

Filed under: Transportation, Alt

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Source: New Scientist

Japan’s transport minster, Akihiro Ohta, announced today that the country’s airliners can resume flying grounded Boeing 787 Dreamliners once a newly approved battery system is installed. “We have reached a conclusion that there is no problem with the judgment by the FAA,” Ohta told the Associated Press. Back in January two separate fires caused by the 787’s lithium ion batteries led to the FAA temporarily grounding all Dreamliners. Japan’s decision comes shortly after Boeing’s CEO, Jim McNerney, stated during the company’s recent fiscal conference call that he expected all 50 aircraft to be fixed by the middle of May. Japanese airline officials are forecasting a slightly longer timeline, with the country’s 787s returning to the skies around June and test flights scheduled to begin on April 28th.

Filed under: Transportation

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Via: The Verge

Source: Associated Press