NASA's Asteroid Initiative and other money-wasting schemes...

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NASA plans to capture a small near-Earth asteroid using a robot and redirect it to a stable orbit in the Earth-Moon system where astronauts can then explore it to study its composition. This robot will also search for larger asteroids that might endanger the Earth…

The machine will use current technology like the Space Launch System and the Orion spacecraft, and technology that is yet to be developed like high-powered solar electric propulsion.

If this operation succeeds, it will prove that NASA has the technological mastery to send humans to Mars by 2030 (President Obama’s wish).

But, how can America afford to send humans to Mars when government debt is in excess of $17 trillion?!

The American government should focus on reducing its debt and helping the poor rather than trying to prove its technological superiority in a mad flight into space (the scientific interest of which remains to be proven)… What do YOU think? Send us your comments please!

Article by Mathilde & Pierre-Henri

What's the point of 3D printers? By Mathilde, Pierre-Henry and Julien

3D printing technologies creates a three dimensional object layer by successive layer, until the entire object is complete. Each 3D-printed object begins with a digital Computer Aided Design (CAD) file, created with a 3D modeling program. To get from this digital file into instructions that the 3D printer understands software then slices the design into hundreds or thousands of horizontal layers. The 3D printer reads this file, and creates each layer exactly to specification. As the layers are created, they blend together with no hint of the layering visible, resulting in a three dimensional object.

3D printing has been used by industry for the last 30 years, but consumer and small business-oriented 3D printing is only just taking off, mostly thanks to the MakerBot and RepRaps. Industrial 3D printers tend to be very large and very expensive whereas consumer-oriented 3D printers are cheaper, smaller, but of course slower. Will the 3D printer for all change the world as we know it? Probably not, but we think it’s an amazing invention, what about you?

Julien adds:

You have always dreamt of a printer in your kitchen? Well, you’re mad. But your dream could actually come true! Indeed, recently, Nasa gave $125,000 to an enterprise in order to develop a 3D food printer. In fact, it would enable astronauts to have good quality food at last. The idea is to print the food layer by layer… For example you could “print out” a pizza! But its creator, Anjan Contractor, sees more than a simple food provider for astronauts in his device. He actually believes his food printer will be able to feed all of humanity in order to solve the problem of food security…Now, let’s just hope the food printers won’t keep breaking down like the ones we are used to!

Robomaid? By Laure & Bertand

 Hello, humans!

In the past, there were many theories about the future of robots, as shown in movies like WALL.E, or Battlestar Galactica, or I, Robot. But, today, what is the state of robotics ? On November 8th 2011, Honda, the Japanese company, unveiled to the world its new robot : ASIMO. It looks like a Star Wars character. It looks sort of human. It can walk, run, speak, see, recognize a voice, and even "speak" in sign language !

Read the article from The Economist !

This example of scientific progress should make us think about our future world ; were we right in our predictions ? Will we get fat and lazy, with nothing else to do than give orders to some obliging robot ? Or, on the contrary, will we end up being hunted down by crazy androids ? How far will science go ? We have to manage to take control of technology, and be its masters, not its slaves...