We had the honor of welcoming Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command a Space Shuttle, to Florida Tech’s campus for a special screening of her new documentary, ‘SPACEWOMAN.’
It was an inspiring evening celebrating perseverance and leadership. Before the event, Collins also met with a small group of students to discuss space exploration and her experiences as a trailblazer in NASA’s history.
Thank you to our campus community and friends of Florida Tech for joining us for this special event!
Learn more about Florida Institute of Technology: https://www.floridatech.edu/
Jeremy Barton and Nanotechnology.
*This video was recorded at ‘Paths to Progress’ at LabWeek hosted by Protocol Labs & Foresight Institute.*
Protocol Labs and Foresight Institute are excited to invite you to apply to a 5-day mini workshop series to celebrate LabWeek, PL’s decentralized conference to further public goods. The theme of the series, Paths to Progress, is aimed at (re)-igniting long overdue progress in longevity bio, molecular nanotechnology, neurotechnology, crypto & AI, and space through emerging decentralized, open, and technology-enabled funding mechanisms.
*This mini-workshop is focused on Paths to Progress in Molecular Nanotechnology*
Molecular manufacturing, in its most ambitious incarnation, would use programmable tools to bring together molecules to make precisely bonded components in order to build larger structures from the ground up. This would enable general-purpose manufacturing of new materials and machines, at a fraction of current waste and price. We are currently nowhere near this ambitious goal. However, recent progress in sub-fields such as DNA nanotechnology, protein-engineering, STM, and AFM provide possible building blocks for the construction of a v1 of molecular manufacturing; the molecular 3D printer. Let’s explore the state of the art and what type of innovation mechanisms could bridge the valley of death: how might we update the original Nanotech roadmap; is a tech tree enough? how might we fund the highly interdisciplinary progress needed to succeed: FRO vs. DAO?
*About The Foresight Institute*
With the advent of commercial spaceflight, an increasing number of people may be heading into space in the coming years. Some will even get a chance to fly to the moon or live on Mars.
One of the major health risks associated with spaceflight involves the immune system, which normally fights off viruses and cancer. It’s already established that spaceflight weakens immunity; current and past astronauts report clinical issues such as respiratory illnesses and skin rashes. These issues may become even more serious on longer-term flights, such as to Mars.
To better understand the full scope of immunology during spaceflight, Buck Associate Professor Dan Winer, MD, working with colleagues linked to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), Cornell University, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Toronto, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and others, have put together a comprehensive guide describing a full array of science linking spaceflight and the immune system.
Discover the hidden brain of the Saturn V — the Instrument Unit’s gyroscopes. Learn how these precision-spinning machines guided humanity’s most powerful rocket with unmatched accuracy, keeping Apollo on course to the Moon.
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📘 Recommended Reading for Space Enthusiasts.
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Superconductivity and quantum computing are two fields that have seeped from theoretical circles into popular consciousness. The 2025 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded for work in superconducting quantum circuits that could drive ultra-powerful computers. But what may be less well known is that these promising technologies are often possible only at cryogenic temperatures—near absolute zero. Unfortunately, few materials can handle such extremes. Their cherished physical properties disappear when the chill is on.
In a new paper published in Science, however, a team of engineers at Stanford University spotlights a promising material—strontium titanate, or STO for short—where the optical and mechanical characteristics do not decline at extreme low temperatures, but actually get significantly better, outperforming existing materials by a wide margin.
They believe these findings suggest that STO could become the building block for new light-based and mechanical cryogenic devices that push quantum computing, space exploration, and other fields to the next level.
Rocket maker Firefly Aerospace filed for an initial public offering on Friday, with plans to trade under the ticker symbol “FLY” on the Nasdaq.
Firefly’s planned offering comes during a resurgence period for IPOs after the market collapsed in 2022 as rising interest rates and skyrocketing inflation deterred investors from betting on riskier assets.
Some companies, including Klarna and ticket reseller StubHub, delayed public offerings earlier this year as President Donald Trump’s tariff plans rattled global markets. But venture capitalists are becoming more optimistic after a strong June for deal activity that included a surge in crypto company Circle and a major Meta Platforms deal with Scale AI. Figma also filed its prospectus earlier this month.
Impulse Space has already started working on the moon lander’s engine, which will “use a nitrous and ethane bipropellant — the same combination used successfully in space on Mira,” Mueller wrote.
And he reminded readers that Impulse took Mira from a mere design on paper to a functioning spacecraft in Earth orbit in less than 15 months.
“We’re confident in our ability to deliver this solution because of our strong track record of rapid success,” Mueller wrote of his company’s moon plans.