7 April 2017
NASA funds radical Pluto hopper and cosmic echolocation concepts
By Leah Crane
From a Pluto lander that hops like a bunny to a tube that shakes astronauts to simulate Earthlike gravity, NASA is investing in our science fiction future. On 6 April, NASA announced funding for 22 technology proposals under its NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) programme.
This programme allows researchers to pursue their so-crazy-it-just-might-work ideas for revolutionising space travel and research. This year, 15 new proposals got Phase I funding of about $125,000 over 9 months, and 7 projects that already made it through Phase I got Phase II funding of up to $500,000 over 2 years.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2127305-nasa-funds-radical-pluto-hopper-and-cosmic-echolocation-concepts/
