A new monitoring satellite that can see right into your bathroom
The Science Fiction Journal | A new generation of commercial satellites on the market and other science-fiction news.
California-based Capella Space - whose CEO is a former NASA engineer - presented some pretty impressive satellite images. This new satellite launched in August can scan buildings, day or night, rain or shine, with an image so sharp that you can even see inside rooms. 'a building. Of the many surveillance satellites in orbit in the private sector, this is the highest resolution in the world, 50cm x 50cm. Unlike optical imagery, this satellite uses Synthetic Aperture Radar, or SAR. It's a bit like dolphins and bats that use echolocation. There, the satellite emits a powerful 9.65 GHz radio signal to its target, then picks up and interprets the signal as it bounces back into orbit. With this frequency, it is possible to penetrate clouds, fog and smoke. According to Capella Space, this technology will quickly democratize. The company wants to create a constellation of SAR satellites and plans to launch six more satellites next year.
The largest vertical farm in Europe
Denmark has inaugurated the largest vertical farm in Europe. While vertical agriculture is booming in Asia, it is still not very widespread in Europe. The company Nordic Harvest has therefore created a vegetable factory in a shed: 7.000 m² are dedicated to the cultivation of cabbage, salad and aromatic herbs, soilless and without sun. In this high-tech farm, six rows of shelves on fourteen floors will have to produce 2.7 tons of salad in 2021. The ambient temperature, the humidity level and the CO2 content: everything is under control, which allows thus fifteen harvests per year without pesticides. These are yields 200 times higher than those of traditional agriculture.
"The robot forced me to do it"
According to a study in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, robots can encourage us to take risks. In this study, entitled "The robot forced me to do it," the researchers invited 108 students to do the BART exercise which assesses an individual's risk-taking abilities. Participants are invited to virtually inflate a balloon. Every stroke of the pump makes money, but it can explode at any time and cause you to lose your winnings. The students took this test, alone, then with a silent robot, then with a sympathetic and encouraging robot that asked questions like "but why are you stopping now?" ". In the company of the kind robot, the students earned much more than when they were with the silent robot or when they were alone. So that means they took more risk and that words of encouragement - even robot ones - hit the mark.
Fiction side: two new SF series
We are expecting two new science fiction series. Disney has announced that the Alien Saga will be serially developed, broadcast on FX / Hulu, and directed by Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley. These new adventures will no longer take place in space or on a distant planet, but on Earth, in the near future. Ridley Scott is reportedly in talks to oversee the series as executive producer.
Another expected series: The Stand, adapted from Stephen King's apocalyptic novel, "Le fléau" in French. It is a mini-series in 9 episodes for CBS All Access, which will be broadcast in France from January 3 on the Starzplay platform. The series is written by Homeland screenwriter Benjamin Cavell, and the story tells of a super flu pandemic that is wiping out nearly all of humanity.
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