In this episode, we talk about NASA’s new packable solar sail for deep space travel, how to prevent cyber attacks by fixing memory vulnerabilities, and how flying robots could be the solution to our space trash problem. As always, you can find these and other interesting & impactful engineering articles on Wevolver.com.
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(0:50) - Deployable Solar Sail:
Solar sails are a great alternative to traditional propulsion for deep space travel since it only depends on sunlight as its power source. Recent advances in material science have allowed NASA engineers to develop a solar sail as big as an apartment that can pack itself into a toaster sized satellite.
(8:00) - Advancing System Security:
The increasing number of hacks (e.g. Colonial Pipeline) has reignited the pursuit of robust cybersecurity measures and a group of Columbia researchers are offering a no-overhead approach to prevent the most critical system vulnerability: memory attacks.
(14:40) - Cleaning Space Trash:
Space trash poses a threat against space missions because even the smallest debris can fatally-damage a spacecraft. Embry-Riddle students partnered with NASA to develop solar sail-powered robots capable of gathering trash and burning it in the atmosphere.