A prototype rocket from the US that s powered by biofuel passed its first major test flight on Sunday.
The rocket, called Stardust 1.0, was developed by a firm called BluShift Aerospace, which is based in Brunswick in Maine.
The 20-foot (six metre) prototype rocket reached an altitude of just over 4,000 feet (1,219 metres) during its maiden run, which was designed to test the rocket s propulsion and control systems.
Video footage shows Stardust 1.0 blasting off from the former Loring Air Force Base in the northern Maine town of Limestone, marking the state s first commercial rocket launch.
Stardust 1.0 was powered by nontoxic fuel that BluShift s CEO claims is so harmless he could give it to one [his] daughters without it having any adverse effects.
£84m for green aviation projects announced
1st February 2021 14:55 Europe/London
The Government has announced £84m is being invested in three projects to make aviation greener. Half of that total is coming through the govt’s ATI programme with the rest matched by industry.
The three projects are:
GKN Aerospace-led project H2GEAR will receive a £27.2m government grant to develop an innovative liquid hydrogen propulsion system for regional air travel, which could be scaled up for larger aircraft and longer journeys
ZeroAvia’s HyFlyer II will receive a £12.3m government grant to scale up its zero-emissions engines for demonstration on a 19-seater aircraft (this had already been announced)
By current understandings, phosphine is created through biological processes which suggested, albeit slightly, that there could be some form of microbial life on Venus.
Many started to jump conclusions Venus could be home to some form of simple alien life, especially in the clouds.
However, new research has put the evidence of phosphine in Venus atmosphere into doubt, which would also eradicate any lingering thoughts of life on Earth s nearest planetary neighbour.
Scientists at the University of Washington (UW) created a robust model of the conditions on Venus to revisit the radio telescope observations which led to the initial discovery.