New Technologies Provide Opportunities for Remanufacturing

Technologies like 3D printing and automation prolong the life of products that consumers would typically throw out. When they need specific parts to repair their products—from power tools and coffeemakers to vacuums and smoke-detectors—they now reach out to companies, who can (courtesy of those tech improvements) remanufacture specific components. “Remanufacturing is a smart way to continue to advance without creating a lot of waste. The …

NASA’s Philippe Starck-Designed Private Space Homes

“My vision is to create a comfortable egg, friendly, where walls are so soft and in harmony with the movements of the human body in zero gravity,” enterprising designer Philippe Starck says of his latest commission: private accommodation on the International Space Station (ISS) for commercial tourists. NASA partnered with Axiom Space on the project, who then tapped Starck. The project should be complete by 2024—and …

Super-Storm Early Warnings From Four Extreme Weather-Tracking Satellites

In both 2016 and 2018, Lockheed Martin launched one next-generation weather tracking satellite—known as GOES, or Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites—capable of detecting almost every bolt of lightning in the Western Hemisphere. Two more of these 6,000-pound satellites will be launched in 2021 and 2024. With all four in place, they’ll be able to monitor electrical activity in the atmosphere—and the data they amass will help to …