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The interconnections fueled a cascading effect, with the failures coursing back and forth. A damaged node in the first network would pull down nodes in the second, which crashed nodes in the first, which brought down more in the second, and so on. And when they looked at data from a 2003 Italian power blackout, in which the electrical grid was linked to the computer network that controlled it, the patterns matched their models’ math.

The testing of the second-generation lunar hopper is being carried out under the supervision of engineers from the nearby Draper Laboratory with an eye toward competing for the Google Lunar X Prize in 2012.

Although planetary rovers are not new, the hopper concept could add a new dimension to robotic planetary exploration, one that Tuohy said could inspire a new generation of engineers, technologists and scientists.

There is more discussion in the space community on how to alter entire planets to suit humans - a process called "terraforming" - than there is on changing man to suit space.

making the machines our "avatars" for space exploration

Perhaps a brain implant linking us to our robots would be the next step in space exploration, greatly reducing communication time across the vast expanse of space

DARPA will entertain proposals from all qualified sources, be they government, commercial, national or international, the posting said. Responses to the request for information are due May 17.

A nice contrast to these high-tech installations, Adrian Lee's Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Citrus Division (below), sees 65 lemons trying to communicate with aliens. Using their own juices, these lemon batteries power a small motor - which turns a disc into which is punched the Morse code for "We are here". As the disc rotates, a class 2 laser - also powered by the lemons - shines through the holes and the encoded message is then directed by a small mirror up into space...or in this case, onto the ceiling of the Ambica P3 venue. Amusing, simple and sophisticated all at once, the Citrus Division mixes old and new science and technology in just the right measure.

Fragmented human genomes could be shipped toward the stars and reconstructed upon their arrival,

to spur the monumental technology advances that would be required for such a feat. So the 100-Year Starship is more like a thought experiment than a construction project.

“The crux, to us, is inspiration of research — not just in solving the physics-based problems. It’s across all of the domains

The carbon-fiber stalks, reinforced with resin, are about a foot wide at the base tapering to about 2 inches at the top. Each stalk will contain alternating layers of electrodes and ceramic discs made from piezoelectric material, which generates a current when put under pressure. In the case of the stalks, the discs will compress as they sway in the wind, creating a charge.

Based on rough estimates, said Núñez-Ameni the output would be comparable to that of a conventional wind farm covering the same area

After completion, a Windstalk should be able to produce as much electricity as a single wind turbine, with the advantage that output could be increased with a denser array of stalks. Density is not possible with conventional turbines, which need to be spaced about three times the rotor's diameter in order to avoid air turbulence. But Windstalks work on chaos and turbulence so they can be installed much closer together, said Núñez-Ameni.