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First steam-powered rocket

11.01.2019

An amazing spaceship that never runs out of fuel is ready to revolutionize space exploration.

A project called World Is Not Enough (abbr. WINE) solved the problem of lack of fuel for long-haul flights. Instead of using fuel from an auxiliary tank, it simply extracts water from the environment and turns it into steam. Yes, yes, a steam space rocket, just like in Jules Verne's novels, is not fiction, but reality.

"This technology can be used to get to the Moon, Ceres, Europa, Titan, Pluto, asteroids - anywhere in space where there is enough water and optimally low gravity," says Phil Metzger, a researcher at the University of Central Florida.

With NASA money, Honeybee Robotics has already built the first microwave-sized prototype space steam engine. Metzger performed the basic calculations using computer simulations, and when it came time to test the WINE prototype, UCF provided him with materials that mimic the astroid - in order to test as close as possible to real conditions whether the ship could drill through the ice.

According to Metzger himself in a press release, the launch was successful. "WINE successfully drilled through ice in a vacuum, turned it into rocket fuel and took off on a jet of steam." His invention may indeed be the solution to the problem of long-distance space travel. Astronomers have already established that many planets, their moons (including our own) and asteroids have a lot of water - however, all of it is in a frozen state. But where will the machine get the energy to start drilling? The inventors have foreseen this too: WINE also has a solar panel that can generate enough energy to drill and turn ice into steam.

And, of course, one of the most important advantages of such a strategy is its cheapness. A steam engine costs an order of magnitude less than a rocket engine, while it can receive fuel virtually free of charge and in an almost unlimited amount.

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The future of TVs - quantum dots and curved screens 24.01.2015

TV manufacturers have found technologies that will keep consumers interested in LCD TVs in the next two years.

Quantum dot technology and curved screens will be the two major innovations in the LCD TV market in the next two years. They will help revitalize the industry and boost sales for manufacturers that have failed to embrace OLED technology, research firm NPD DisplaySearch said in a report.

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