Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve always heard that holiday calories “don’t count,” but disregarding urban legend for a minute, we’d say AlterG’s timing here is nothing short of impeccable. Nearly 1.5 years after the outfit’s P200 series was a-okay’d by the FCC, an all new walking machine has entered the fray. The M300 treadmill brings along the same “anti-gravity” feel (useful for rehabilitation and athletic training), but in a machine that’s a third of the price and way, way sleeker. The idea here is to reduce the strain on joints and muscles as one exercises, and while that’s certainly commendable, we’re still thinking it’ll take one or two more iterations to get one priced for the everyman. You know, unless you consider $24,500+ (or $499+ per month for the rest of your Earthly life) “affordable.”

[Via MedGadget]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Household

AlterG’s M300 treadmill: same ‘anti-gravity’ vibe, now ‘only’ $24,500 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The weather isn’t cooperating at the moment, but NASA is poised to launch its highly-anticipated Ares I-X rocket this morning. As Space.com reports, the rocket is designed both to replace the aging space shuttle and–perhaps one day–transport humans to Mars.

To commemorate the event, NASA built the booster stage from parts previously flown on 30 shuttle missions, including the one that launched the Hubble Space Telescope, according to the report.

Currently, winds are a little heavy at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. But NASA has until noon today to launch the rocket before rescheduling. The rocket won’t actually enter space; instead, it will follow a 28-mile-high, five minute flight profile while over 700 sensors record its performance, according to the report. (Image credit: NASA)

Ready for some interplanetary exploration? We’ve had the force shields, currency, and refuel stations all sorted out for a while, and now here come the ion thrusters we’ve been missing to make manned trips to Mars really viable. Currently, a return journey to Mars can take up to two years, with crew members having to wait a full year for the planets to realign, but with ion propulsion — which uses electricity to accelerate ions and produce small but longevous thrust — ships can get there within a reasonably tight 39-day window. Ion propulsion rocket engines were first deployed successfully by NASA in the Deep Space 1 probe in 1998, and the latest iteration’s successful Earth-bound testing has led to plans for a flight to the moon and use on the International Space Station as test scenarios for the technology. It’s all still very much in the early stages, of course, but should all that testing, checking, and refinement bear fruit, we might finally have a whole new world to colonize and sell sneakers on.

[Thanks, Davis]

Filed under: Transportation, Science

Ion propulsion engine could take you to Mars in 39 days originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At last! The new Arex I-X rocket—the first iteration of the rocket that will take humans back to the Moon and beyond—is out of NASA’s assembling facilities, and is now at Launch Pad 39B, getting ready for launch.

The assembled Ares I-X was mounted aboard NASA’s sandcrawler at Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building at 1:39 a.m. It arrived at Launch Pad 39B around 7:45 a.m.

The Ares I-X will test the viability of the 100-meter high Ares I, NASA’s tallest, most powerful rocket since the Saturn V. The Saturn V was ten meters higher than Ares, and it remains the biggest, most powerful rocket ever launched.

If everything goes well, Ares I-X will blast into the sky on October 27, reaching 40 kilometers up in the air, and sending vital information about its performance. The first stage, a solid rocket engine, will return to Earth. The dummy upper stage will fall down to the ocean.

Arex I-X is the first major milestone for the Constellation program, which in theory would take over the shuttle, and also bring humans back to the Moon and Mars. If el Sr. Presidente gives the go ahead, that is. At this point, the Constellation program is being evaluated by the Augustine Commission. Their final report, that will seal its fate, will be handed in to the White House this week.

In other words, enjoy this one while it lasts. [NASA]

Really? This was it? Some choppy footage and few dudes high-fiving in what we’re pretty sure to be a Kinko’s? This is what it looks like when Man bombs the moon at 5,600mph??

I mean, I’m all for science. ALL for it. Can’t get enough of it. I’d marry it if i could—really—nd I’m married now. So that means I’d need to ruin my life my getting a divorce, then woo science, then drop all the cash on some destination wedding or something while trying to forget about that story science told me regarding the high school football team, vodka and one of those bottles of green ketchup.

But this mission should have been, like, the most ridiculously awesome thing we’ve ever seen. We rammed a whole Lunar CRater Observing and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) straight into our closest galactic buddy. And all we got was this stinkin’ YouTube clip without the actual impact. (Even MailOnline is sobbing about it.)

NASA has a press conference later today, during which they’ll share findings from the mission. It’s possible we could get some better media then. And as an entitled taxpayer with a penchant flash and dazzle, I’m certainly hoping so. [LCROSS and YouTube]