Bill Nye’s LightSail Deploys Its Sails

After surviving two communication failures that left it temporarily incapacitated in space, Bill Nye’s interplanetary LightSail project has finally deployed its solar sails. The spacecraft was launched into orbit last month to test a method of space travel that relies on streams of the sun’s photons to propel its four mylar sails. Just recently, those sails were successfully locked into place, marking a major milestone …

Link About It: This Week’s Picks

Miss Piggy the feminist, Pluto's wobbly moons, how to achieve superhuman hearing and more in this week's look at the web

1. Miss Piggy Receives Feminist Award The Muppets’ Miss Piggy was recently awarded the Sackler Center First Award by the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art for her contributions toward modern feminism and for serving as a consistent inspiration to younger generations. Past recipients include former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor, writer Toni Morrison and director Julie Taymor. In her classic, confident style, …

A Structure For Ocean Self-Cleaning

Boyan Slat wants to rid the Pacific Ocean of half of its plastic waste by 2025. To do so, the 20-year-old and his nonprofit company Ocean Cleanup have designed a simple yet effective floating barrier that will allow the ocean to clean itself. Unlike nets—which sea life can become entangled in—the barriers will skim the surface of the water as ocean currents pass below it, …