Weekend Edition: A new spin on space launches

Why fire up a rocket when you can literally fling a satellite into orbit at velocities up to 5,000 mph? That's the question SpinLaunch posed this week with the first test of its radical kinetic space launch system. That story from Nick Lavars heads our weekend round-up, backed by the stunning winners of the 2021 Architecture MasterPrize, a wild full-carbon ebike, a sideways spiraling bookcase, and a dollop of Martian ketchup. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Noel McKeegan Editor-in-Chief Space [SpinLaunch's rocket-free kinetic launch system conducts first test flight]( [SpinLaunch's Suborbital Accelerator at Spaceport America]( Startup SpinLaunch has been exploring alternatives to rockets through the development of what it calls the world's first kinetic space launch system, which literally flings satellites into orbit – and it's recently completed its first test flight. [Read more]( SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR NEW ATLAS READERS [Save big and stay secure with this Black Friday Early Access VPN deal]( Don’t miss PureVPN's Early Access Black Friday Offer of 88% OFF 5 year plans. Enter the code newatlas10 to receive an extra 10% off – that's 5 years of premier VPN service for just $71.95! All plans are covered by a 31-day money-back guarantee. [Read more]( Space [Heinz serves up ketchup made from "Martian" tomatoes]( [Heinz Marz ketchup was made from tomatoes grown under Martian conditions]( Thanks to a pilot project by Heinz and a team of researchers led by Andrew Palmer at the Florida Institute of Technology, when astronauts set up outposts on Mars they may be able to make their own ketchup using locally grown tomatoes. [Read more]( Architecture [Architecture MasterPrize celebrates design triumphs from around the globe]( [The Arc, by Ibuku, is a stunning new gymnasium at the Green School in Bali that was constructed using bamboo. The project is one of the winners of this year's Architecture MasterPrize]( The winners of the 2021 Architecture MasterPrize have been announced. The award highlights some superb projects, including a luxurious home buried into a Greek hillside and a mixed-use building covered in over 30,000 hedges. [Read more]( Science [Next-gen supercharged COVID-19 vaccines may also target the common cold]( [UK researchers say the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines may also generate protection against pre-existing coronaviruses known to cause the common cold]( Researchers investigating healthcare workers with a strange pre-existing resistance to SARS-CoV-2 infection have discovered a new antigen target for the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines, which could also generate protection against the common cold. [Read more]( Bicycles [Full-carbon, 30-lb Urtopia ebike packs in radar, voice control and GPS]( [The US/Canadian version of the Urtopia should ultimately sell for $3,999]( While some ebikes try to keep things simple, others revel in their electronic nature, packing in as many high-tech features as possible. The single-speed Urtopia is definitely one of the latter, and has just hit the Indiegogo crowdfunding platform. [Read more]( Aircraft [Reaction Engines assembles partners for its ammonia aviation project]( [The new ammonia propulsion system uses heat exchanger technology originally developed for Reaction Engines' Skylon spaceplane]( The UK's Reaction Engines has announced the details of a joint venture to create its compact, lightweight ammonia reactor intended to decarbonize difficult sectors like shipping and off-grid energy generation – and surprisingly, also aviation. [Read more]( Architecture [Awe-inspiring bookstore spirals sideways through history and literature]( [The Shenzhen Zhongshuge bookstore was completed earlier this month]( A magnificent new bookstore has swung its doors open in China, featuring a massive spiraling staircase laid down sideways as both a functional bookshelf and art installation inviting visitors to take a one-of-a-kind walk through space and time. [Read more]( Biology [Anti-aging research uncovers new role for telomeres]( [A new study suggests that telomeres, protective caps on the tips of chromosomes, might play a different role in aging than previously thought]( Aging affects everybody, so it’s easy to understand why so much scientific attention is focused on studying it. Scientists in Canada now claim to have found that telomeres play a different role in cellular aging than previously thought. [Read more]( Automotive [Gaussin to take world's first hydrogen race truck to the Dakar in 2022]( [Gaussin has announced the world's first hydrogen-powered Dakar race truck, preparing to race in January 2022]( French company Gaussin is pushing hard on hydrogen-based long-haul trucking, and to prove it's ready to bang with the big boys, it's taking the first hydrogen race truck to the Dakar rally in Saudi Arabia next year for the ultimate torture test. [Read more]( Outdoors [Mobile H2O generator pulls drinking water from air for off-grid nomads]( [At roughly 33 lb, the Mobile Box is made to be easily carried and transported, unlike previous Watergen designs that were either fixed in place or required trailers or dedicated vehicles to transport]( Watergen has long been working to refine and grow technology to pull water vapor out of the air and collect it for drinking. Its latest innovations shrink that water-harvesting tech into a form portable enough for overlanders and RVers. [Read more]( Materials [Switchable window material stays clear while blocking the sun's heat]( [The NTU Singapore team with a sample of window glass incorporating the material]( As sunlight passes through a building's windows it can cause indoor temperatures to rise, to the point that the structure's air conditioning system has to be used. A new window material, however, blocks incoming heat while staying mostly transparent. [Read more]( Medical [How tiny electrical implants could treat rheumatoid arthritis]( [A large trial is currently underway in the United States testing an implant (pictured above) that is hoped to treat rheumatoid arthritis by delivering short bursts of electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve]( Could the future of rheumatoid arthritis treatment be a small implant designed to deliver bursts of electrical stimulation to a nerve that can regulate the body’s inflammatory reflex? Large clinical trials testing several implants are already underway. [Read more]( Technology ["Titanium avocado" could provide GPS-grade navigation sans satellites]( [The avocado-sized vacuum chamber set in the test apparatus]( Sandia National Laboratories is developing an avocado-sized vacuum chamber made out of titanium and sapphire that could one day use quantum mechanical sensors to provide GPS-grade navigation without the need for satellites. [Read more]( Environment [US outlines vision for cheap, large-scale carbon capture technology]( [Capturing carbon dioxide from the air is currently expensive, but a new venture from the US Department of Energy aims to change that]( A new initiative from the US Department of Energy makes carbon capture and storage technologies a key pillar in its plan to tackle climate change, aiming to drive down the cost and foster innovations that allow for storage on a mass scale by 2050. 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