becoming calcium hydroxide and releasing large amounts of heat in the process.
By removing the water again — a process not dissimilar to baking — the substance
turns back into calcium oxide. The process essentially mirrors how batteries work, ex-
cept that instead of electricity, the system stores heat. SaltX says it has also patented
a way of covering the quicklime with tiny particles — known as a nano-coating —
to prevent it from lumping together after several heating and cooling cycles. The
process can absorb ten times more energy than water, and can retain the chemical-
ly-trapped energy much longer. SaltX also notes that the calcium oxide can be safe-
ly recycled, giving it an edge over some battery technologies that use rare or toxic
materials. (THUMBS UP)
9.
SPACE DEBRIS
Space junk is a big problem, and it’s only getting worse. Nearly 129 million pieces of
debris are zooming around Earth at the moment, about 34,000 of which are at least
4 inches (10 centimeters) wide, according to European Space Agency estimates.
These objects are moving so fast — 17,500 mph (28,200 kilometers/h) in low-Earth
orbit — that even the smallest of them could damage a satellite. To tackle the
space-junk problem, scientists and engineers are devising ways to de-orbit satellites
efficiently after they finish their missions — through the use of friction-increasing
“drag sails,” for example. Researchers are also developing a cleanup cubesat called
OSCaR (Obsolete Spacecraft Capture and Removal), which would hunt down and
de-orbit debris on the cheap using onboard nets and tethers. And OSCaR would
do so relatively autonomously, with little guidance from controllers on the ground.
(THUMBS UP)
10.
BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY
Blockchains can be permissionless, also called public, which are typically open for
anyone to view and participate. Or, blockchains can be permissioned, which limit
the participation to a single administrator or a specific group of participants. Digi-
tal currencies are only one way to use blockchain. Other evolving applications can
include online voting, medical records, insurance policies, property and real estate
records, copyrights and licenses and supply chain tracking. They can also include
smart contracts, where payouts between the contracted parties are embedded in
the blockchain and automatically execute when contractual conditions have been
met. Twenty-eight states have introduced legislation relating to blockchain in 2019.
Twenty-seven bills and resolutions have been enacted or adopted. (THUMBS UP)
What are the signals that give you hope or cause to pause? Which futures matter to
you? Looking Forward!
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HUMAN FUTURES
HUMAN FUTURES
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