DART
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NASA's DART spacecraft took out over 1,000 tons of rock from its target asteroid
Scientists confirm that DART's impact method can be used to protect Earth from planet-killing asteroids.
NASA's DART spacecraft successfully altered the orbit of an asteroid
The next time an asteroid threatens Earth, humanity might have a chance of preventing an impact.
NASA's DART asteroid impact test left a trail over 6,000 miles long
Astronomers have captured an image showing that the trail from NASA's asteroid impact test is over 6,000 miles long.
James Webb and Hubble telescope images capture DART asteroid collision
It was the first time the telescopes have observed the same celestial target simultaneously.
NASA successfully smacked its DART spacecraft into an asteroid
NASA's DART mission, which seeks to use specially designed impactor spacecraft to knock planet killing asteroids off-track has successfully targeted its first space rock, the asteroid Dimophos.
Watch NASA crash DART into an asteroid at 6PM ET
NASA is about to crash a spacecraft into an asteroid, and you can watch events live beginning at 6PM Eastern.
Watch NASA’s asteroid-bound DART launch at 1:20AM Wednesday
In mere hours, NASA will attempt to launch one of its most interesting missions in recent memory.
SpaceX and NASA plan to launch a satellite into an asteroid next week
SpaceX and NASA have completed a static fire test and will launch the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) on November 21st.
Europe's space agency approves the Hera anti-asteroid mission
European ministers in charge of the ESA space agency have approved Hera, a mission that will test whether deflection could save humanity from a rogue asteroid. During the $320 million mission, ESA and partner NASA will send a pair of spacecraft to a double-asteroid system called Didymos. NASA will first crash its DART probe into the smaller asteroid (Didymoon) at a speed of around 13,320 MPH, with the event recorded by an Italian cubesat called LICIACube. Hera will arrive later to map the impact crater and measure the asteroid's mass.
NASA and ESA will team up to deflect Earth-bound asteroids
If humanity is going to stop dangerous asteroids, countries will likely have to work together -- thankfully, that might just happen. NASA and ESA teams are meeting in Rome next week to discuss progress on on the Asteroid Impact Deflection Assessment, a joint research mission to study the viability of diverting an asteroid by crashing a spacecraft into its surface. The project aims to deflect the orbit of one of the two Didymos asteroids between Earth and Mars, with an observer craft gauging the effect of the impact more effectively than ground-based observers could manage.
SpaceX will assist NASA's first-ever mission to redirect an asteroid
NASA has chosen SpaceX to help out on its first-ever attempt to deflect an asteroid. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) will blast off on a Falcon 9 rocket in June 2021 from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Its mission: To smash a satellite into the Didymos asteroid's small moon in a bid to knock it off its orbit. What sounds like the plot of a Michael Bay movie could turn out to be NASA's first line of defense against Earth-bound asteroids.
Google's Fuchsia operating system runs on virtually anything
Google is no stranger to creating whole platforms when it needs them, but its latest project might be something special. It's working on Fuchsia, an open source operating system that's designed to scale all the way from Internet of Things devices through to phones and even PCs. Its kernel includes 'grown up' OS features like user modes and a capability-based security model, Android Police notes, and it supports both advanced graphics as well ARM and 64-bit Intel-based PCs. To no one' surprise, it's using Google's own Dart programming language at its heart.
Crowdfunding Project News: All Kickstarter this week
Every week, TUAW provides readers with an update on what new or significant crowdfunded Apple-related projects are in the news. While our policy is to not go into detail on items that haven't reached at least 80 percent of their funding goal, this update is designed to give readers a heads-up on projects they might find interesting enough to back. This week, we're taking a closer look at seven fascinating Kickstarter projects: The first pick of the week has already reached funding with a month to go, and it's not surprising. Dart is advertised as the world's smallest laptop power adapter, and it definitely will leave a lot more space in your computer bag. Imagine using one power "brick" to run your MacBook Pro and charge your favorite iOS devices -- that's what this project is all about. Right now you'll have to pledge $168 or more to get one of the MacBook Darts, but you'll be one of the first people in the world to get one of these diminutive power adapters. Probably the coolest project this week is a tiny little printer you can take with you anywhere. Instead of putting paper into a printer, you put this printer onto the paper and it moves around. At this point the ZUtA Pocket Printer Mini Mobile Robotic Printer is almost 94 percent funded with a little over three weeks to go, so it looks like it's going to make it to market. I wouldn't go so far as to say that this is the most practical or affordable printer -- it's rather slow and currently the least expensive pledge is $200 -- but when it comes to a technology that can finally change printing once and for all, this is it. What the world needs now is a USB wall charger with a wood grain finish! That's the concept behind iWoody, which looks a lot like the traditional iPhone/iPad charger but uses a water-transfer wood design to give it a unique look. iWoody might not make it to market -- it's only 2.5 percent funded with three weeks to go -- but if you're looking for an additional USB wall charger, you can pledge as little as $15 and get one. Charging of your electronic toys seems to be on the minds of a lot of Kickstarter inventors this week. The Juice is a beautiful aluminum on-wall iPad charging dock that would be perfect for home automation fans. It's gorgeous, it's sleek, and it's designed by a pair of German designers. And did I mention that it's made of Jony Ive's favorite material, al-you-minnie-yum? Check it out here. TUAW buddy Hal Sherman provided us with a couple of picks this week. The first is the Iron Brick Safe, which is the perfect accompaniment to an Apple laptop for a college student. It'll let them keep their MacBook nicely locked away in a dorm room. Of course, this thing has only $461 of funding for a $23,500 goal so far, with about three weeks to go, so the old "slide the MacBook Air under the mattress" trick might have to suffice for a while. Hal also provided us with a tip on the Mode Mount, a rack mounting system for the new Mac Pro. Unfortunately, this project also seems to be moving slowly in funding -- $433 pledged with a $50,000 goal -- so it might not make it to production. Insert comment here about Hal really being able to pick 'em... (just kidding, Hal) Our final entry this week is for the "Frog" Dolly, touted as a "portable and versatile 3D printed camera dolly". So what does that have to do with Apple? Well, one of the models of this cool filmmaking tool is app-controlled, so you'd be able do full motion control filming with your favorite 4K camera installed on the Frog. The Frog Dolly is already in production; this Kickstarter is to help reduce the cost of the devices so that more filmmakers -- pro and amateur -- can have access to an incredible tool. It's at about 13 percent funding with a little over three weeks to go. If you're aware of any other crowdfunded Apple-related projects, be sure to let us know about them through the Tip Us button at the upper right of the TUAW home page for future listing on the site. Just make sure that they actually have a valid reason for existing, OK?
Daily Roundup: Windows Phone 8.1 review, Google buys a drone company, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
The 'world's smallest' laptop adapter debuts on Kickstarter for $79
Back at CES in January, MIT spin-off FINsix unveiled the "world's smallest" 65W laptop adapter, and it even managed to nab a nomination for our Best Startup award. Fast forward to today, the company is launching this nifty device -- now dubbed the Dart -- on Kickstarter for as low as $79 per unit. Here's a quick reminder: this charger is four times smaller and six times lighter than its regular counterparts, and it also comes with a 2.1A USB port. The enabling technology here is a highly efficient VHF (very high frequency) power conversion, as refined and patented by MIT. As you'd expect, the Dart is compatible with most laptops, and there's even a special version for MacBooks that don't need more than 65W of power.
Google's homegrown Dart web programming language emerges from beta
While Google giveth and taketh away end-user apps, it's generally been good to developers -- all the better to get new tools into the wild. One of those pet projects, Dart, is now out of beta and into a "production ready" version 1.0 SDK, according to Mountain View. In a nutshell, it's a programming language that aims to simplify, speed up and (it hopes) one day replace Javascript as the app of choice for web developers. Though no browser actually supports Dart natively (except its own Dartium browser), the SDK comes with a Javascript translator that Google claims produces faster and tighter code. It's also added code completion, debugging and more, and said that Adobe and others have started supporting it. Though the idea of learning another programming language makes us tear up, if you're game, hit the source.
GlassFrogger makes Glass wearers hop in real life to brave simulated streets (update: code and video)
Google may keep a tight lid on Glass development, but that hasn't stopped coders at the Breaking Glass Hackathon from building some clever wearable apps. Take the event's winning entry, GlassFrogger, as an example: the HTML5-based game recreates Frogger on Google's eyepiece by making players hop in the real world to cross virtual roads. It's a multi-platform title, too, with support for any device sporting a modern web browser. GlassFrogger is free to use today, but try to avoid playing while you're out on the street -- there's enough roadkill inside the game, thank you. Update: We've since been in touch with co-author Adam Singer, who has posted both source code and the GlassFrogger pitch; you can see his team demonstrating the game after the break.
Google's Dart SDK and Editor arrive as beta with focus on performance
Dart isn't conquering the world wide web just yet, but that doesn't mean Google is giving up on its darling programming language. The internet giant has just released the first beta of the SDK and Editor, and the update's focus is obvious: speed. The analysis engine, which is responsible for altering you to errors in your code, has been revamped and is now 20 percent faster, according to Google. There are a whole bunch of new features designed to simplify development too, such as the ability to import or rename libraries. And the Editor's autocomplete engine is now "camelcase aware," meaning when you type "iE" the editor tracks down "isEmpty." Dart code compiled to JavaScript now results in significantly smaller file sizes and Dart VM performance has supposedly been boosted by between 33 and 40 percent. Oh, and there's much, much more... this is just the SparkNotes, folks. For the full change log hit up the source.
Google toasts Dart's one-year anniversary with first stable SDK (video)
It's not a real birthday party without a present, so Google has just pulled the wraps off the first stable version of the Dart structured programming language, one year after it was launched. Along with "thousands" of bug fixes, the rejuvenated version will have a faster virtual machine, new JavaScript translator, HTML, server-side I/O and interoperable JavaScript libraries, the Pub package manager and Dartium, a Chromium build with native Dart support. Mountain view promised to keep the improvements coming "while maintaining backward compatibility" for the language, so if you feel frisky enough to jump JavaScript's ship, check the source below (or video after the break) to see how to grab it.
Google's Dart lands in Chromium tech preview
Leaves weren't the only things flying around Mountain View last Autumn if you remember, Google also unleashed its Dart programming language. Now, developers can get their hands on a tech preview version of Chromium, with the Dart virtual machine baked right in. There are Mac and Linux binaries available today, but no details about other platforms (ahem Windows) at this time. The preview lets you run your programs directly on the Dart VM, skipping the separate compilation stage. While it's just for developers at the minute, there are plans to include this in standard Chrome releases in the future. Aim at the source link after the break for the full details.
