Technology

Yes, Arthur C. Clarke is still alive, and, at 89 years old, he's just as sharp as ever, if this interview in IEEE Spectrum is any indication. Popular Science sat down with the legendary science fiction writer and futurist at his Sri Lankan home in 2004, but that was before the private spaceflight industry transformed from a dream into reality.

Clarke is a big fan of Bigelow Aerospace, and he believes his concept of a space elevator will be realized in the coming decades. He also hopes to be a customer when the space tourism business really gets running.—Gregory Mone

Scientists with the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute switched on the Allen Telescope Array, a field of 42 radio dishes that will listen for signs of alien life. Eventually, a total of 350 such devices will be deployed around the world.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen contributed $25 million to the $50 million project, which just might solidify his status as the coolest space junkie on the planet, since he was also the wallet behind SpaceShipOne.

Scientists say the telescopes could help them learn more about how galaxies evolve, but honestly, don't we have enough observatories busy with that business? Stay focused on the aliens, guys.—Gregory Mone

The Dawn spacecraft might have a 3-billion-mile journey ahead of it, but that doesn't mean NASA engineers are rushing to get the trip started. The mission control team has been communicating with the craft since its September 27th launch, and this past weekend, the scientists finally fired up one of Dawn's three ion propulsion engines.

They ran the system for 27 hours, burning only a soda-can-sized portion of Dawn's xenon fuel, and the spacecraft passed all its tests. The first stop on the mission, in 2011, will be the asteroid Vesta. Then Dawn will move on to the dwarf planet Ceres in 2015.—Gregory Mone

(Image credit: NASA)

After Halo 3 reportedly tallied $300 million in worldwide sales through its first week, the game's developer, Bungie Studios, announced plans to split from its corporate parent, Microsoft.

The two companies do plan to remain friends. Bungie says it's going to continue to develop games with a focus on Microsoft platforms, but it might start dabbling with other consoles, too.

Bungie started as an independent company in 1991 before Microsoft snapped it up in 2000. Now it looks like the studio managed to retain its independent streak. Let's hope that translates into even better games. You can find more details here and here.—Gregory Mone

The alien microbes are supposed to be discovered when spacecraft return to Earth, not before they've left, right? Not according to a new study of several NASA clean rooms—the supposedly sterile environments in which engineers assemble and test the components of various spacecraft before launch.

By sampling the air and surfaces in clean rooms at the Jet Propulsion Lab, Johnson Space Center and Kennedy Space Flight Center, scientists uncovered nearly 100 types of bacteria. And about 45% of them are believed to be novel. The study should help scientists improve the clean room environment, which will in turn reduce the risk of interplanetary spacecraft dropping our organisms on far-off worlds.—Gregory Mone

Via NY Times

When Sputnik 1 was launched 50 years ago today, no one truly anticipated the resounding impact it would have on science, technology and the balance of political power around the world. Not least the Soviets, who were hesitant to divert precious resources from their fledgling ballistic-missile program for what many in the government regarded as one man's fanciful hobby.

Little known Peter Diamandis fact: back in 1987, he was one of three founders of something called the International Space University—an institution devoted to the study of—you guessed it—all things space.

Now, to raise some funds for its scholarship program, the ISU is throwing a massive auction on eBay starting tomorrow, the 50th anniversary of Sputnik's launch. If youre looking for a gift for the space nerd that has it all, this is the place: on offer is everything from lunch with a former astronaut to Sputnik-shaped lawn ornaments. Other wares include space art, coffee table books and the chance to fly one kilogram of stuff into the space. You can justify the memorabilia to your significant other since the auctions proceeds will allow more luck souls to become "Masters of Space Management" (an actual ISU program) themselves. Now that's a degree worth holding on to. —Saba Berhie

ISU Auction - [via LiveScience]

We take about six months to create our annual list of the most impressive young scientists in the U.S., six months of quizzing academic department heads, professional organizations and journal editors about the most creative and important research in the country and the individuals making it happen. And every year, those leaders-a serious and measured group-nominate hundreds of candidates with barely contained excitement. "There is no doubt in my mind that his work will revolutionize the field," says one. "He has done something that, frankly, I thought was impossible," says another.

Calling all fashionista-engineers: NASA is looking for a tailor to create a flexible and strong spacesuit for astronauts working on the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). The suits have to protect the astronauts from cabin tears and the weightless flight. In addition the suits have to be able to handle moonwalks over an extended period of time. All aspiring spacesuit designers should apply soon; NASA will be awarding the contract in June 2008. The Orion CEV will put the new outfits to use on the first crewed flight to the International Space Station (ISS) no later than 2015 and on the moon by 2020.  —Saba Berhie

Solar storms affect Earth occasionally, if indirectly. The flares and tsunami-like waves that sweep over the sun's surface can disable satellites and down power grids. Now it seems they can have a more concrete impact on objects that cross their path. For the first time ever, NASA scientists captured images of a comet colliding with a coronal mass ejection and losing its plasma tail in the process. In the comet's case, the same ejections that disrupt radio communications triggered magnetic reconnection, shoving together opposing magnetic fields surrounding the comet and causing the tail to rip off during the subsequent burst of energy.

The image above isn't much to look out, but researchers spliced together a series of pictures taken by NASA's STEREO satellite into a terrific movie of the collision, check it out here.—Abby Seiff

I recently flew Virgin America, the new airline from Sir Richard Branson's Virgin group of companies. The airline is targeting the young and tech-savvy—power outlets adorn every seat; purple "mood lighting" attemts to makes your plane feel like the inside of a downtown lounge; and personal entertainment centers in the seatbacks let you play anything from DirecTV Dish Network (free), a good selection of movies ($8 each), or recent episodes of TV shows like 30 Rock ($2 each). You even order your food and beverages—paid for, like everything else, with a credit card swipe—through the entertainment center's touchscreen.

Today, the deep-space asteroid-studying spaceprobe Dawn was successfully launched on schedule, satisfying the requirements of DAWNOK. After a few false starts, NASA's mission to study the origins of the solar system is now officially under way, headed forthe main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The unmanned
spacecraft will begin its exploration of Vesta in 2011, and Ceres in
2015. By comparing the two asteroids, scientists hope to learn more
about how the solar system formed and why Vesta and Ceres failed to become full-size planets.

Back on this planet, our stock was halted at a price of POP$78.75, and will pay out at POP$100 immediately. Onward and upward! —John Mahoney and Dawn Stover

Meet the Superjet 100 (in triumphant rendering form)—the newest entrant into the sub-100 passenger regional jet arena. This one's notable, however, for being the first new passenger jet designed and built in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Russia's legendary civil aircraft design bureaus—Mikoyan, Yakovlev, Tupolev, Ilyushin—just barely survived the chaotic privatization that followed the end of the USSR. Basically, they survived in name only, as none had the resources to focus on anything but military projects. The Superjet marks the latest step in the process to revitalize the industry—a process that began last year with the massive restructuring of practically every major Russian aviation firm into the monolithic United Aircraft Building Corporation, placing all of them comfortably back under the wing of the Russian government which will retain a 75% stake. Notably, one of President Vladimir Putin's likely successors, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, was picked to run the new military and civil aviation conglomerate, ensuring his financial health for the foreseeable future.

The Superjet 100 is expected to begin flight tests before the year is up before entering into what Russia hopes will be stiff competition with the regional jet leaders—Brazil's Embraer and Canada's Bombardier. —John Mahoney

As far as meaty physics goes, The Bourne Ultimatum is a standout among action flicks. Compared with other pillars of the genre, like Mission Impossible and XXX, Bourne sustains some impressive dramatic excitement without succumbing to the patently ridiculous.

It's not hard to suspend disbelief during the movie's dizzying quick cuts, but Jason Bourne's Superman-like physical capabilities are a little suspect. He has astonishing reaction reflexes, infinite physical stamina, and the ability to withstand an amazing quantity of forceful blows, impacts and collisions without sustaining much more than a few scratches and an intermittently gimpy leg—pretty unlikely stuff, even for an elite assassin.

But we're not here to criticize the improbable. Why else do we go to action movies, after all? That said, there is one interesting physics moment that I feel obligated to point out: a motorcycle chase scene in which Bourne tries to prevent a CIA assassin from snuffing out the closest thing he has to a romantic interest. While taking a short cut, Bourne jumps his motorcycle over what appears to be a six-foot concrete wall. Fans of XXX may not bat an eye—Vin Diesel's grasshopper-esque, unassisted leaps over a 30-foot fence, a guard tower and a house, all without the assistance of a ramp of any kind, make Bourne's paltry six-footer look like a bunny hop. Nevertheless, it's worth taking a look at the numbers. Just how much force must he be capable of exerting on the ground to get him over the wall?