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1-Page Summary of Soonish
Overview
Research into future technologies is being conducted all over the world, but it doesn’t get much attention. By exploring these technologies, we can think about what the future might look like and consider how to deal with ethical issues that may arise from them.
We have not yet invented flying cars, but we’ve made some amazing technological breakthroughs in recent years. We’re so focused on other things that we don’t even know what’s happening with bioprinting, space planes and microscopic robots.
So, let Kelly and Zach Weinersmith bring you up to date on the latest developments in 3D printing. They’ll tell you when it might be possible to buy a 3D printer for your home and print out whatever object you want.
In this video, you will discover the difference between fission and fusion power. You’ll also learn why a bucket of stuff is both incredible and terrifying. Finally, you will watch an interview with a business expert who explains how Pokémon Go is only a small step toward the incredible virtual world to come.
Big Idea #1: Space exploration is hindered by the cost of getting to space.
It’s disappointing that little progress has been made in getting humans into space.
However, the reality is that it’s expensive to build rockets and send them into space. Scientists are looking for cheaper ways of exploring space. One method involves using a giant elevator to take people to an asteroid in orbit around Earth. It would be much cheaper than using rocket fuel because it wouldn’t require as much fuel or equipment. However, scientists haven’t yet been able to find a material strong enough and light enough for this idea to work; however, they’re still researching the idea.
A potentially cheaper method is the spaceplane. A spaceplane would have two engines: one that uses air and fuel to create a high-pressure force, and another that uses normal propellant in outer space because there’s no air.
Another way to make space travel affordable is by mining asteroids. We can use the materials found in these rocks and send them back to Earth or build structures on other planets with them. Tethers Unlimited, a US-based company, has proposed a system for capturing asteroids using what they call “the Wrangler.”
A net would allow us to trap an asteroid. It could also be used as a base of operations for space settlement or mining. Water, metal and oxygen can be extracted from asteroids.
Big Idea #2: Fusion power has been difficult to harness, but it might become a reality in the near future.
There are two types of energy. Nuclear fission is the type of energy produced when atoms break apart, while nuclear fusion is the type of energy generated by atoms coming together to form a new atom.
So far, we’ve failed in our attempts to harness fusion power. However, scientists are still working on it and there’s a lot of hope that this will be the solution to clean energy. The best solution so far is called the MagLIF project at Sandia Labs in the United States. This involves taking a large amount of fusion fuel and blasting it with lasers, which creates massive reactions.
Scientists are using a large generator called the Z machine to collapse a cylinder filled with fusion fuel. This causes the fuel to release an immense amount of energy at the same instant. While more energy is required to operate this machine than what it produces, scientists hope that by 2020 they will break even on its energy production.
If we find the right solutions, energy from fusion may be a reliable source of clean energy. One promising improvement is the ITER configuration that results in better ways to confine fuel and heat it. In collaboration with scientists from 35 nations, the ITER configuration plans to house plasma in a donut-shaped chamber and confine it through magnetic fields. The plasma would then be heated to extreme temperatures, causing atoms to fuse together.
