Once upon a time, it was necessary to be completely open-minded and have an active imagination in order to believe in the possibility of human flight into space. We now take astronauts into space for granted, but we still need to think outside the box to push the boundaries of research in our solar system and beyond.
It is to promote ideas that sound like science fiction, but can become the latest technologies in the future, and the program of innovative and advanced concepts (NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts, NIAC) is intended.
This week, NASA named 18 projects and ideas that will receive funding under the NIAC program. All of them are divided into two segments (Phase I and Phase II), that is, they are designed for more distant and closer prospects, respectively. Funding for each development within the Phase I category is up to $125. For the implementation of projects in the Phase II category, a larger amount will be allocated - up to $000.
The first category included 12 projects. For example, a βsmartβ suit with soft robotics and a self-healing surface, or a project to create microprobes that move through the air like spiders using cobwebs that can help study the atmosphere of other planets.
Other concepts include lunar ice mining outposts, an inflatable craft to explore the atmosphere of Venus, and nuclear electric propulsion systems that would allow flight through water jets on the surface of Europa, one of Jupiter's moons.
Source: 3dnews.ru