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SpaceX's first high-altitude Starship test could happen Tuesday
SpaceX is planning the first high-altitude flight test of its new Starship vehicle.
SpaceX prepares Starship SN8 prototype for high-altitude test flight
SpaceX could perform the first high-altitude test flight of its Starship vehicle next week, according to Elon Musk.
Get an up-close look at SpaceX's latest Starhopper test
Now that SpaceX started test firings and short "hop" tests on the launch pad at its Boca Chica, Texas site, it's apparently comfortable enough to show off the results. Tonight Elon Musk -- apparently unbothered by an internal investigation or ongoing wrangling with the SEC -- tweeted this two second clip of the snub-nosed "Starhopper" test vehicle that's on a short tether with one of the company's Raptor rocket engines mounted underneath. It's still not much of a trip, but the glimpse from up close is a preview of greater things to come. Eventually we should see test flights with the Phase 2 Starhopper that go much higher, similar to the progression of SpaceX's Grasshopper tests for the Falcon 9 a few years ago. All of this is necessary before we see the real Starship fly, so these small bites will have to do for now.
Elon Musk shares footage of SpaceX's latest Mars rocket test
Elon Musk has taken to Twitter to celebrate the first-test fire of the SpaceX Raptor flight engine, which will be used on its next-gen rocket. The company's head honcho shared footage of the thunderous, two-second test conducted at its McGregor, Texas facility, the site where the Raptor was first put through its paces back in September, 2016. SpaceX followed up with an Instagram post confirming that the Raptor performed the "highest thrust ever" from a SpaceX engine, despite operating at 60 percent power.
SpaceX reveals identity of the world's first lunar space tourist
The last time that humanity set foot on the lunar surface, Richard Nixon was still president and Pink Floyd was still in the midst of recording their seminal album about its dark side. And while SpaceX's tourism plans don't involve actually setting down on our nearest celestial neighbor, the company does hope to put Yusaku Maezawa, the billionaire founder of Japanese fashion retailer, Zozotown, as close to it as any human has been in the past couple of decades.
Physical copies of 'Jurassic World' come with an AR baby raptor experience
The franchise hype leading up to the theatrical release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom earlier in the summer included a slew of AR and VR games. Unsurprisingly, there's another on the way to celebrate the film's home release on September 18th through the Facebook and Messenger mobile apps: An in-store display featuring the film's Indoraptor antagonist, and an insert slipped into physical copies that boots up an interactive baby version of the beloved Velociraptor, Blue.
Everysight's Raptor AR cycling glasses start at $499
We liked what Everysight accomplished with its Raptor AR Smartglasses -- they present helpful cycling info like directions, cadence and your heart rate in front of you so that you can keep your eyes on the road. If you're feeling the same way, you now know when you can get a pair of your own. Everysight has announced that you can sign up for a pre-order invitation at its website today, with pre-orders starting on November 15th ahead of the February 2018 release. That's a long time to wait (sorry, no AR fall rides for you), but the prices sound about right for projector-equipped eyepieces with their own onboard computing and GPS: you're looking at an "early adopter" price of $499 for glasses with 16GB of storage and $549 for 32GB.
Smart cycling glasses show data without blocking your view
You can already buy smart glasses for cycling, but they tend to have one big catch: the heads-up display partly obscures your view. That's annoying at best, and risky at worst. Everysight thinks it can do better. It's close to finishing development of Raptor, a set of augmented reality glasses that projects data on a transparent display on the lens. You'll get navigation, speed, heart rate and other vital info without losing valuable visual real estate. They'll even record your ride in HD (with sound), so you can review your performance after the fact.
Why are dinosaurs everywhere in VR?
There's a key scene early in Jurassic Park when the visiting scientists see their first dinosaur in person. Paleontologist Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and paleobotanist Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) clamber out of their Jeep as they stare at the majestic brachiosaur looming above them. "It's a dinosaur," Grant stammers in disbelief. His reaction matches the audience's: After a lifetime of looking at fossils and picture books, here, in the flesh, is a real, live dinosaur. We'll never experience this ourselves, but virtual reality can convincingly take us face to face with these extinct creatures.
SpaceX test-fires 'Raptor' rocket that will take humans to Mars
SpaceX has done its first test of the Raptor rocket engine that will take humans to Mars as early as 2024, Elon Musk said in a series of tweets. It was fired at the company's McGregor, Texas facility on a stand that can handle the extreme thrust. Pointing out the "mach diamonds" from the test (above), Musk said the "production Raptor goal is a specific impulse of 382 seconds and thrust of 3 MN [680,000 pounds]," more than three times that of the current Falcon 9.
SpaceX to start testing the engine that will take it to Mars
SpaceX has recently inched closer to realizing its head honcho's -- that's Elon Musk, but you already know that -- ambitious Mars plans. It has sent its next-generation rocket engine, the one it's developing for the rocket that will ferry a spacecraft to the red planet, to its McGregor, Texas facility for testing. Company president Gwynne Shotwell made that revelation during the Small Satellite Conference in Utah. A spokesperson also confirmed to Ars Technica that the engine is being prepped for testing in the Lone Star State.
Pick up Peckers the Majestic for your garrison
Sure, collecting followers for your garrison is pretty fun -- after all, they head out on missions and can potentially bring you back all kinds of valuable rewards. But what about your garrison while everyone is away? Oddly enough, there are a few different potential garrison denizens that aren't followers. You'll never send them on a single mission. But they'll come hang out at your garrison anyway, if you go out of your way and rescue them from whatever unfortunate situation they've accidentally stumbled into. That's where Peckers the Majestic comes in. This fearsome looking raptor will gladly follow you back to your garrison if you take the time to help him out. Don't expect him to be too terribly friendly, though. While you can pet the raptor, he'll respond by promptly giving you a swift kick and running away. Apparently, he's been taking lessons from Ruthers the bad yak. Yet despite his temperamental disposition, he's a pretty cool addition to any garrison -- so how do you get this ornery raptor? You'll want to head to Gorgrond.
Velociraptor-inspired robot can run almost as fast as DARPA's Cheetah
There's a new robot that's almost matched Cheetah's speed record, but it wasn't designed after another speedy cat. Instead, it takes cues from something more terrifying: a velociraptor. The two-legged machine named Raptor was created by scientists from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, who've even outfitted it with a tail like the extinct reptile's for balance. In its current form, it can go as fast as 28.58 mph (46 km/h), just a bit slower than the famous mechanical cat's max speed of 29.2 mph (47 km/h). Compared to DARPA's robotic cat, though, Raptor's technology is a lot simpler, even using ordinary springs as tendons to be able to run fast more effectively. Right now, Raptor's confined to running on a treadmill like Cheetah's older iterations, but its creators hope to make it more stable so it can run on any surface without a tether. Once that happens, all it'll need is a velociraptor suit for the KAIST researchers to start their own (hopefully safer) Jurassic Park.
Our favorite WoW dinosaurs outside the Isle of Giants
I'm worried, WoW Insider readers. I love patch 5.2 and all of the dinosaurs improvements that have come with it, but in the patch's frenzy of dinosaur-fueled excitement I fear we're forgetting something... namely, the long and noble history of WoW's dinosaurs. Indeed, dinosaurs have roamed the game since patch 5.2 was nothing but a far-off dream in a developer's heart. Dinosaurs have been with WoW since launch day, and just so you don't forget the heroic dinosaurs who have brought us to this age of dino-popularity, today we're going to review the 10 best (or at least most memorable) dinosaurs in the game. So pay attention, because there may be a test later.
Patch 5.2 mounts and where to get them
Patch 5.2 isn't just bringing new raids, it's also adding several new mounts to the game. For mount collectors, drake show-offs and people who like sitting on cool things, WoW Insider checked out how you can lay your hands on these sweet rides in patch 5.2. Direhorn Mounts The Golden Primal Direhorn is exhibited in the header image for your delectation, and he is available, just like his Crimson Primal Direhorn brother, from gaining exalted reputation with one of the new reputation grind factions -- the Kirin-Tor Offensive for the Alliance's Golden Primal Direhorn, and the Sunreaver Onslaught for the Horde's Crimson one. There are several other Direhorn mounts available, all of these are Primordial rather than Primal, and come in four different colors: Amber Primordial Direhorn, Jade Primordial Direhorn, Cobalt Primordial Direhorn, and the Slate Primordial Direhorn.
New video shows creation of EverQuest II raptor concept
It's not often that we get to see behind the curtain on our favorite MMORPGs, and Sony Online Entertainment has teamed with PC Gamer to give us one of those opportunities. EverQuest II recently released a slew of new mounts, among them flyers, gliders, and leapers that give players the ability to soar over the wilds of Norrath like never before. SOE production artist Nate Temple kept a video record of his concept design for one of the game's new raptor leapers, and we get to see the complete sketch unfold before our eyes thanks to the time-lapse wizardry on display in the five-minute clip. Temple shows off his mad Photoshop skills and provides a good bit of interesting commentary, so jump past the cut to check it out!
The OverAchiever: Combining The Ambassador and Mountain o' Mounts
Every Thursday, The Overachiever shows you how to work toward those sweet achievement points. This week, we contribute to Azeroth's obesity epidemic by refusing to walk. Mounts: They get your ass from point A to point B, and if you're lucky, they'll do it as stylishly as possible. They're the most immediately visible status symbol in WoW and often give you a one-glance note on the kind of player at whom you're looking. People astride Invincible can be counted upon to be hardcore raiders from the Wrath of the Lich King era, someone riding a Violet Proto-Drake is never new to the game, and players rocking a White Stallion are seriously old school. Players who have been around for any length of time almost inevitably accrue a stable's worth of beasties to cart them around, but some folks go the extra mile for the Leading the Cavalry and Mountain o' Mounts achievements. In Cataclysm, these are a lot easier than they once were, although you should still be prepared to dump a ton of gold and time into them no matter what. Fortunately, the first part of the Mountain o' Mounts trek should also net you The Ambassador achievement and title.
WoW TCG: War of the Elements worldwide release April 26
Cryptozoic has just announced that War of the Elements, the first WoW TCG Worldbreaker expansion, will be released worldwide on April 26, 2011. The expansion is being released in four languages at the same time around the world, a first for the trading card game. War of the Elements also features loot cards, as usual, for WoW players to redeem cool pets, mounts, and other in-game items from WoW TCG cards. War of the Elements will include Landros' Lichling, Fool's Gold, and the Savage Raptor mount. War of the Elements will also feature two new dragonflights: the bronze and blue flights, with respective leaders Nozdormu and Kalecgos. What is interesting is that the TCG has solidified Metzen's statement that Kalecgos would become the new leader of the Blue Dragonflight and plays up the importance of these two flights in the coming patches and content in Cataclysm. %Gallery-119621%
Eton Mobius, Soulra 2 and Road Torq hands-on
It seems that whole "solar panel" thing is working out pretty well for Eton, because the emergency radio company's got a slew of new products that charge with the sun's rays -- not just the angular Raptor, but also a brand-new wireless iPod boombox and an iPhone 4 external battery pack that use the very same tech. The Eton Mobius crams a monocrystal solar panel and an 1800mAh battery into an package just about 20mm thick, which Eton claims not will not only doubles the iPhone 4's battery life, but lets it run for nearly 20 minutes per hour of direct sunlight exposure. Meanwhile, the Soulra 2 boombox upgrades not only the power of its predecessor with a full eight speakers, but also the rate of charge, with a larger solar panel that lets it juice an internal 2000mAh pack in five hours, and pump out jams for up to eight. Both felt like pretty early prototypes when we gave them a heft, but the Soulra 2 gets fairly loud -- enough to hear music over the din of the CES floor, at least. It's also a heavy one, but comes with a carrying strap and handle. If you're bound and determined to have a hand crank on your emergency tool, though, you might want to give Eton's American Red Cross devices a look -- particularly this Road Torq stand-up beacon designed for car troubles. Flip out the combination flashlight / and red LED signal flare, pull out three reflector feet, and it stands up providing fifteen minutes of light for each minute you crank. PR after the break. %Gallery-112572%
Eton Raptor emergency radio trades the crank for solar power, rakish good looks
If "danger" is your middle name and yet "caution" a favorite word, you've probably already got an ugly old emergency radio buried somewhere in your car. Today, Eton's unveiling a model that you might actually feel comfortable using in public without disaster having to strike first. The solar-powered Eton Raptor boasts a slender, 11-ounce carabiner-like design that seems positively packed with tools, including the typical (AM / FM / WB radio, compass, LED flashlight), the adventurous (altimeter, barometer) and the plain ol' useful (audio line-in, bottle opener). It's also got a USB port for charging gadgets from the internal 1800mAh battery and takes splash-proof cues from the Eton Soulra. No word on price, but we know a few road warriors who might be interested when it hits shelves in the first quarter of next year. PR after the break, images immediately below. %Gallery-111814%
