Latest news with #Skyfall
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA Wants To Drop Helicopter Drones On Mars To Scout For Manned Landing Sites
In 2021, NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab successfully launched the first powered flight on another planet with the Ingenuity drone helicopter, co-developed with AeroVironment, Inc. Now, the two are proposing to do it again, with one big change: They want to launch not one, but six new helicopters, and what's more, they want to launch them as they're descending from Mars orbit. Why bother with this pesky "ground" you speak of? Much cheaper to lift off when you're already in the air. The mission is called Skyfall, which I guess no one told them was also the name of a James Bond movie. The idea is for a capsule to drop down towards the Martian surface, open up before it impacts, and out will fly the six helicopters. Each drone will then fly a different route, using cameras and radar to scan what's underneath the surface. This will hopefully detect water, ice, or other resources that would make for a good landing site for an eventual manned mission to the red planet. It's even possible that this process could "advance the nation's quest to discover whether Mars was ever habitable." Could a robot helicopter dropped from space find aliens on another planet? Probably not, but also, please yes. Read more: Here's Every Car Company Volkswagen Owns Right Now The Importance Of Ingenuity When it first lifted off from Martian soil, Ingenuity only hoped to traverse 980 feet over the span of a few weeks. Instead, the plucky American aviator covered 10.5 miles over three years. It did finally crash in January 2024, during which it suffered rotor damage too severe to ever get it to fly again. While the cause of the crash remains unknown (kind of hard to do an investigation on Mars), Ingenuity soldiers on, dutifully serving as a static weather station now. I'd say that was a pretty successful mission, all things considered. Clearly NASA agrees, since the Skyfall mission is effectively a major expansion of Ingenuity; the new helicopter drones will be upgraded versions of that design, made by the same public-private partners, JPL and AeroVision respectively. Exactly how public vs how private may be shifting, however. AeroVision says that it will be taking on some of the work that JPL originally did "commercializing" Mars drones this time around. That sounds in line with the Trump administration's push to move traditionally government-run operations, like retrieving astronauts, to corporations instead. NASA is also under threat of crippling proposed budget cuts, so it might not even be able to do the work it used to do. I, for one, think the Martian aliens will welcome their new American corporate overlords. Either way, Skyfall won't be lifting off of Earth's soil until at least 2028. If all goes well, air traffic will be getting pretty thick underneath red skies by the end of the decade. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
'Best Bond movie' with Oscar-winning theme song now streaming for free
Daniel Craig stars in the critically-acclaimed thriller A James Bond film that's been acclaimed as the best movie in the entire spy series is now available to stream for free. Helmed by Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes, Skyfall has recently landed on ITVX, much to the delight of action fans. The 2012 blockbuster, featuring Daniel Craig as the iconic secret agent, garnered widespread acclaim upon its release. It tracks Bond's pursuit of a hitman through Istanbul's bustling streets, aiming to retrieve a stolen list that could expose undercover MI6 agents. When the operation disastrously fails, M (portrayed by Dame Judi Dench) is forced to take drastic steps to safeguard the intelligence service, reports the Mirror. Craig is joined by Naomie Harris, a familiar face to Bond fans from her roles in subsequent instalments of the series. The cast also boasts the talents of Academy Award winner Javier Bardem, 28 Years Later star Ralph Fiennes and French actress Bérénice Marlohe. As anticipated with such an impressive cast, Skyfall was met with immediate success. It secured an impressive 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where critics lauded: "Sam Mendes brings Bond surging back with a smart, sexy, riveting action thriller that qualifies as one of the best 007 films to date." Moreover, the spy epic was nominated for five Oscars, contending in categories such as Best Cinematography, Best Original Score and Best Sound Mixing. In the end, the film triumphed at the Oscars, clinching awards for Best Sound Editing and Best Original Song, the latter awarded to Adele for her chart-topping track, Skyfall. Cinema enthusiasts were captivated by the film, with one Google reviewer stating: "By far the best Bond Movie I've ever seen especially given the amazing performances of Javier Braden." Another agreed, writing: "Skyfall in my view is the best Bond film ever made. No Time To Die is good but this Bond film will always have the edge above others." An IMDb user also contributed their praise, noting: "This is one of the best Bond movies I have ever seen." They continued to laud the film, saying: "The story is superbly put together and has some interesting twists, the action is well done and contains none of the shaky cam which plagued the last film. The actors all do a great job."
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'Best Bond movie by far' that won two Oscars now streaming free
Daniel Craig fans can tune into the hit thriller free of charge A James Bond film that has been hailed as the best movie of the entire spy franchise is now streaming for free. Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Sam Mendes, Skyfall has just been added to ITVX, ready for action fans to devour. The 2012 thriller, which stars Daniel Craig in the leading 007 role, received overwhelming praise upon its debut. It follows Bond as he chases an assassin through the streets of Istanbul in a bid to recover a stolen list exposing the identities of MI6 secret agents. When the mission goes terribly wrong, Chief M (Judi Dench) is forced to take extreme measures to preserve the agency. Craig shares the screen with Naomie Harris, who Bond enthusiasts will recognise from other films in the franchise. Other notable cast members include Oscar winner Javier Bardem, 28 Years Later star Ralph Fiennes and French actress Bérénice Marlohe. As you'd expect from this stellar ensemble, Skyfall was an instant hit. It bagged a rare 92% Rotten Tomatoes score, where critics raved: "Sam Mendes brings Bond surging back with a smart, sexy, riveting action thriller that qualifies as one of the best 007 films to date." What's more, the spy drama earned five Oscar nominations, including nods in the Best Cinematography, Best Original Score and Best Sound Mixing categories. Ultimately, the thriller won the Oscars for Best Sound Editing and Best Original Song. The latter was awarded to Adele for her hit song, Skyfall. Moviegoers were captivated by the film, with one Google reviewer gushing: "By far the best Bond Movie I've ever seen especially given the Amazing performances of Javier Braden." A second agreed: "Skyfall in my view is the best Bond film ever made. No Time To Die is good but this Bond film will always have the edge above others." Meanwhile, an IMDb user shared: "This is one of the best Bond movies I have ever seen. "The story is superbly put together and has some interesting twists, the action is well done and contains none of the shaky cam which plagued the last film. The actors all do a great job."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Bonkers NASA Mission Aims to Drop Six Helicopters Onto Mars From Space
Defense tech company AeroVironment and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have shown off a wild concept for deploying six helicopters above the surface of Mars to scout for water and possible human landing sites. The concept, dubbed "Skyfall," builds on NASA's extremely successful and revolutionary Ingenuity Mars helicopter, which became the first manmade object to achieve powered flight on another planet in 2021. It flew a whopping 72 times over three years, vastly exceeding expectations. AeroVironment's plan is to "deploy six scout helicopters on Mars, where they would explore many of the sites selected by NASA and industry as top candidate landing sites for America's first Martian astronauts," according to a press release. As seen in a flashy animation, the "Skyfall Maneuver" will attempt to deploy the six rotorcraft from a much larger spacecraft during its descent through the Martian atmosphere, making it a highly ambitious endeavor. However, the plan would also "eliminate the necessity for a landing platform — traditionally one of the most expensive, complex and risky elements of any Mars mission," per the company. Whether such a venture will receive enough funding to be realized remains unclear at best. While AeroVironment has kicked off internal investments ahead of a planned 2028 launch, budgetary restraints at NASA could pose a major challenge. The Trump administration is planning to massively slash the space agency's budget in what critics are calling an "existential threat" to science, making anything at NASA currently an uncertain bet. Just last week, NASA's JPL reportedly held a "going out of business sale" for existing satellites, signaling tough times ahead. It's not the only concept vying to follow up on the tremendous success of Ingenuity. In December, NASA showed off a SUV-sized "Mars Chopper" with six rotor blades that could allow it to carry science payloads up to 11 pounds across distances of up to 1.9 miles per Mars day. AeroVironment's leadership claims its Skyfall concept could explore far more of the Red Planet for a fraction of the price, compared to conventional landers and rovers. "Skyfall offers a revolutionary new approach to Mars exploration that is faster and more affordable than anything that's come before it," said AeroVironment's head of space ventures, William Pomerantz, in the statement. "With six helicopters, Skyfall offers a low-cost solution that multiplies the range we would cover, the data we would collect, and the scientific research we would conduct — making humanity's first footprints on Mars meaningfully closer." Skyfall is planning to borrow heavily from its predecessor Ingenuity, including "its lightweight aircraft structure suitable for the thin atmosphere of Mars." "Ingenuity established the United States as the first and only country to achieve powered flight on another planet," said AeroVironment's president of autonomous systems, Trace Stevenson. "Skyfall builds on that promise, providing detailed, actionable data from an aerial perspective that will not only be of use planning for future crewed missions, but can also benefit the planetary science community in their search for evidence that life once existed on Mars." AeroVironment has worked on space-based laser communication terminals, as well as ground-based phased array antennas, to improve satellite command and control capabilities. How that expertise will translate to launching and landing six rotorcraft on Mars remains to be seen — but we'll be rooting for the project. More on Mars helicopters: NASA Shows Off SUV-Sized "Mars Chopper" With Six Rotor Blades
Digital Trends
3 days ago
- Science
- Digital Trends
Remember Ingenuity? NASA's proposed Skyfall mission takes it further in stunning video
NASA's incredible Ingenuity helicopter spent nearly three flying across the surface of Mars, becoming the first aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight on a planet other than Earth. After suffering damage to one of its blades in early 2024, Ingenuity was grounded for good, and now rests on the martian surface as a testament to technological innovation and the triumph of autonomous flight on another planet. In an exciting development, the plucky helicopter has now inspired Skyfall, a mission concept recently unveiled by Virginia-based AeroVironment (AV) and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), who worked together to develop the Ingenuity aircraft. As you can see in the video at the top of this page, the Skyfall mission is designed to deploy not one but six helicopters on Mars, each of which would fly off to explore various locations selected by NASA as potential landing spots for the first crewed mission to the red planet, which could take place in the 2030s. The gathered data could also help scientists learn more about Mars, contributing to the expanding database of information collected by other Mars vehicles such as the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers. The video shows the dramatic Skyfall Maneuver, described by AV as 'an innovative entry, descent, and landing technique whereby the six rotorcraft deploy from their entry capsule during its descent through the martian atmosphere.' With the helicopters flying down to the Mars surface under their own power, the Skyfall system would do away with the need for a landing platform, which is one of the most expensive parts of any Mars mission and also carries huge risk. Just like Ingenuity, each helicopter would be capable of operating autonomously, and beam high-resolution imagery back to Earth for analysis, allowing mission planners to select the best possible landing location for the first human mission. 'Skyfall offers a revolutionary new approach to Mars exploration that is faster and more affordable than anything that's come before it,' said William Pomerantz, head of space ventures at AV. 'Thanks to a true partnership between industry and government, we're expanding the unprecedented success of Ingenuity.' Pomerantz added that with six helicopters, 'Skyfall offers a low-cost solution that multiplies the range we would cover, the data we would collect, and the scientific research we would conduct, making humanity's first footprints on Mars meaningfully closer.' With NASA's first human missions in mind and the need to identify an ideal landing area, AV is already working with NASA's JPL in the hope of getting the green light for the mission before working toward a potential 2028 launch.
