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🛩️ Air Force funds spaceplane that delivers cargo from orbit, Florida's biggest evacuation in 7 years, world's 1st electric battery plane

Plus: We have been measuring blood pressure wrong, say Johns Hopkins doctors

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Sierra Space Company is developing an orbital technology that can deliver critical supplies to any location on the planet within 90 minutes.

This will be made possible by its “Ghost” spacecraft.

The US-based company recently received funding from the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to further develop this logistics spacecraft. Dive deeper into this Must-Read.

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Sierra Space was awarded a contract under the AFRL’s Rocket Experimentation for Global Agile Logistics (REGAL) program. However, the exact amount has not been disclosed.

“The Sierra Space Ghost unlocks scalable point-to-point logistics, transforming the way high-value materiel is transported to disrupted areas when and where it is needed most,” said Tom Vice, CEO of Sierra Space.

Vice added: “This contract represents a significant leap forward in logistics capabilities and allows us to expand the Sierra Space Ghost into a larger form factor, ready for critical defense missions.”

Florida is bracing for what could be its largest evacuation in seven years as Hurricane Milton continues to strengthen in the Gulf of Mexico.

On Sunday, the hurricane intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane and is now set on a collision course with the state’s western coast.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) predicts that Milton could make landfall on Wednesday near the heavily populated Tampa Bay area, a region that hasn’t faced a hurricane this strong in recent memory. 

Eviation Aircraft, the innovative company behind developing the world’s first all-electric aircraft, Alice, has announced a new partnership with South Florida-based UrbanLink Air Mobility.

This collaboration involves a commitment to provide 10 Alice commuter aircraft to UrbanLink, signifying a major advancement in the field of Advanced Air Mobility.

The deal will also explore an option to acquire an additional ten planes.

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HOT TOPICS OF THE DAY

SCIENCE

> A study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine reveals that the way a patient’s arm is positioned during routine blood pressure (BP) screenings can lead to a significant overestimation of results, potentially contributing to the misdiagnosis of hypertension. (More)

> University of California, Los Angeles researchers have developed a low-cost paper-based sensor to detect a biomarker for heart attacks. (More)

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ENERGY

> The US Department of Energy has awarded Texas A&M engineers a grant to develop a materials system for hydrogen gas turbines. (More)

> Researchers in Germany have designed breakthrough vehicle-integrated PV (VIPV) modules, meaning solar panels for electric vehicles. (More)

> Researchers at Cornell University used an innovative arrangement of macrocycle and cage molecules to achieve record-high conductivity in solid-state lithium-ion batteries. The research paves the way for much safer batteries in the near future. (More)

INNOVATION

> Magdrive, a space tech startup, has developed a new kind of space thruster that can use any metal, including iron, as a fuel source. The new thruster could, in theory, refuel on the hop by mining asteroids, providing near-infinite ranges if ever deployed. (More)

> A California high school student has designed a robot inspired by the pangolin to handle tasks like digging and planting. (More)

> ETH-spinoff ANYbotics’s claims of water and dust protection with its ANYmal robotic dog have been verified by a real-life incident. (More)

VIDEO

> Deep beneath the city of Liverpool is a mysterious set of tunnels that stretch for miles. Who built them? What were they built for? Uncover the secrets of Joseph Williamson, the Mole of Edge Hill. (More)

> U.S. scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine on Monday for the discovery of microRNA and its crucial role in how multicellular organisms grow and live. (More)

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