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Recently the LS3 prototype underwent its first outdoor exercise

Over the course of the next 18 months, DARPA plans to complete development of and refine key capabilities to ensure LS3 is able to support dismounted squads of warfighters.

Features to be tested and validated include

ability to carry 400lbs on a 20-mile trek in 24-hours without being refueled

refinement of LS3’s vision sensors to track a specific individual or object, observe obstacles in its path and to autonomously make course corrections as needed

the addition of “hearing” technology, enabling squad members to speak commands to LS3 such as “stop,” “sit” or “come here.”

serves

mobile auxiliary power source— troops may recharge batteries for radios and handheld devices while on patrol

DARPA seeks to demonstrate that an LS3 can carry a considerable load from dismounted squad members, follow them through rugged terrain and interact with them in a natural way, similar to the way a trained animal and its handler interact.

LS3 seeks to have the responsiveness of a trained animal and the carrying capacity of a mule

The tests culminate in a planned capstone exercise where LS3 will embed with Marines conducting field exercises.

based on mobility technology advanced by DARPA’s Big Dog technology demonstrator, as well other DARPA robotics programs which developed the perception technology for LS3’s “eyes” and planned “ears.”

SpaceView is envisioned as a long-term partnership. This could potentially include time-sharing on telescopes, upgraded hardware at the astronomer’s site or financial compensation

SpaceView hopes to engage amateur astronomers by purchasing remote access to an already in-use telescope or by providing a telescope to selected astronomers

Telescopes used for astrophotography, asteroid hunting or simply high-quality astronomy are well suited for SpaceView’s needs

this new program provides the means to upgrade a skywatcher’s site to a state-of-the-art fully automated obser

in late 2013, the process will start to select the first dozen members of the project

snag still-working antennas from the many retired and dead satellites in geosynchronous orbit — about 22,000 miles (35,406 kilometers) above Earth — and attach them to smaller "satlets," or nanosatellites, launched from Earth.

tender vehicle would cruise over to a satlet, pluck it out of its housing and ferry it to the appropriate defunct satellite. The tender would then switch the antenna over from the retired satellite to the satlet, creating a "new," and relatively cheap, satellite using previously useless space junk.

Satellites in GEO are not designed to be disassembled or repaired, so it's not a matter of simply removing some nuts and bolts

requires new remote imaging and robotics technology and special tools to grip, cut, and modify complex systems

isn’t sure whether either can be scaled up to work inside a military vehicle

vision system enables the UAV to search and find the target for the emplacement autonomously and then perform the action

Our goal

was to show we could quickly develop and integrate the right technology to make this work

this technology

successfully demonstrated

A newly developed stereo vision system that tracks the emplacement target and motion of the robotic arm.

The vision system, coupled with global positioning system, controls the arm and V-Bat during emplacement.

Control logic to maneuver the vehicle and direct the robotic arm to accurately engage the emplacement target.

Vehicle stability with the arm extended 6 feet with a 1-pound payload.

Autonomous search and detection of the emplacement target and autonomously emplaced a 1-pound payload

designing a spacecraft that will serve as an orbiting gas station and mechanic.

will be able to top off satellites' fuel tanks

perform minor repairs as needed

first servicing satellite could be ready to go by 2015 or 2016

Currently, most satellites last only as long as their stores of onboard propellant allow

When a spacecraft runs out of fuel, it essentially turns into a very expensive piece of space junk, adding to the massive cloud of debris already clogging Earth orbit.

servicing spacecraft would be controlled from the ground

could operate with varying degrees of autonomy

when the SIS spacecraft itself runs low on fuel, a separately launched "tanker" would replenish its supply of propellant, allowing the vehicle to continue servicing satellites far into the future.

MDA thought it found that customer last year.

However, the two companies announced last month that the deal is off

I guess we were not able to meet those datelines for the original plan, due to various factors

isn't the only business or organization working to develop satellite-servicing technology

Aerospace firm Vivisat, for example, is designing a spacecraft called the Mission Extension Vehicle, which would dock to satellites and provide propulsion and attitude control.

The U.S. military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has started a program called Phoenix, which seeks to recycle still-functioning pieces of defunct satellites and incorporate them into new space systems for low cost.

16 February 2012

The X-51 Waverider program is a cooperative effort of the Air Force, DARPA, NASA, Boeing and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne

technology would be successful enough to eventually be used for more efficient transport of payloads into orbit

Pentagon has touted its ability to deliver strikes around the globe within minutes.

craft was carried to about 15,240 meters (50,000 ft.) by a B-52 from Edwards Air Force Base in California

dropped over the Pacific Ocean

Designers were hoping the Waverider would reach Mach 6 or more

scramjet (short for “supersonic combustion ramjet”) is an air-breathing engine, where intake air blows through its combustion chamber at supersonic speeds

engine has no moving parts

oxygen needed by the engine to combust is taken from the atmosphere passing through the vehicle, instead of from a tank onboard

Some designers have predicted it could reach speeds of anywhere from Mach 12 to Mach 24. Mach 24 is more than 29,000 km/hour (18,000 miles per hour.) This could cut an 18-hour trip to Tokyo from New York City to less than 2 hours.

May 2010, the first test of the vehicle had sort of a “successful” flight of 200 seconds of autonomous flight

another test in 2011 failed

that up to a frightening 28.3 MPH.

Usain Bolt's peak speed during the 100-meter dash was 27.78 MPH

Cheetah, for now, is tethered to an external power supply, and runs on an indoor treadmill.

Next year, however, Boston Dynamics plans to unleash Wildcat (pictured above), a Cheetah that's designed to run untethered.