10 SPACE INNOVATIONS
As our ambitions for exploring space become greater, so too do our technological needs. Our current technologies and methods place limits on what we can do, limits that we are starting to press upon as more daring and exciting missions are devised.
To fulfil our grander ambitions, a variety of companies and agencies are carrying out the research and development that will provide the new technologies we need – from advanced propulsion techniques to reusable rockets.
With that in mind, we’ve chosen ten technologies that we think could revolutionise our methods of exploring and understanding the universe around us. Some are proposals we’d expect to see in the next few years; others are wholly more ambitious concepts. Join us as we unveil the incredible future space technologies that will change our methods of space exploration and observation forever.
1 Environment transformers
On the Moon, Mars, Mercury and potentially other worlds within our galaxy, we know of permanently shadowed craters and caves that receive no sunlight. These areas are of particular interest to scientists as they may contain significant quantities of ice that could be studied. However, the problem with ice is that it’s pretty solid. Unless you’ve got
