OK, so it's only for snapshots and objects no larger than a golf ball, but Las Vegas real-estate developer Robert Bigelow is taking reservations for the first space-travel program for the masses. Late next month, Bigelow plans to launch a 15-foot inflatable spacecraft from Russia on a converted intercontinental ballistic missile. A sort of flying attic, the craft will carry more than 4,000 photographs, 500 objets d'art and other mementos contributed by members of the public.

How's this for a hybrid?

Pint-size cars are the practical option in European cities, whose streets seem to be designed for wheelbarrows, but they come up short on safety. Keenly aware of this dilemma, Milan-based automotive designer Pininfarina has reconsidered subcompact safety from the inside out with its Nido concept car. Named after the Italian word for “nest,” Nido refers to the unique design for protecting passengers of this diminutive two-seater (it’s 2.5 feet shorter than a Mini Cooper).

A few months ago I got a voicemail from my seven-year-old nephew informing me that he needed help building a satellite communication device. He had most of the necessary parts, he assured me, including aluminum foil, some wires and cables, and AA batteries. All we needed to get started was a radio or remote control.

Nothing came of our project, but the imaginative reach of his idea made me wonder: Where did this itch for invention come from? Was my sister sprinkling something in his cereal? Reading him Arthur C. Clarke at bedtime?

Next time you sit with a stranger at a dinner party, pray for someone as interesting as any of the scientists in the ranks of the second annual PopSci Brilliant 10. Someone who is well into an exciting career but still picking up speed. Someone in the grip of an obsessive inquiry into the nature of the world—brainy, resourceful, gutsy—and not afraid to talk about it. This year, we again sought researchers whose work, while watched and admired (and certainly envied) by colleagues, is largely unknown to a public that admits few scientists into the spotlight of fame.

Can't fit into that pint-size parking space? No problem. Push a button and, in 10 seconds, the four-seat Rinspeed Presto convertible shrinks 2-1/2 feet, converting itself into a stubby 9-foot 10-inch two-seater. To lose those inches, sliding rails join the Presto's front and rear sections. The quick-change concept is powered by a 1.7-liter 120-horsepower Mercedes turbodiesel that's been tweaked to run on a mixture of liquid fuel and natural gas for exceptional economy and low emissions. It hits 60 mph in just 10.5 seconds and has a top speed of 108 mph. There are no plans for production.