MJ Banias, Author at The Debrief

NASA Will Build Artemis Base on the Moon’s South Pole

Location, Location, Location...

MJ Banias·February 5, 2021

NASA's Artemis lunar base camp will house astronauts, rovers, and scientific equipment on the Moon's southern pole.

New Plasma Propulsion System Generates A Helluva Lot of Thrust

MJ Banias·February 2, 2021

A new engine uses plasma propulsion to generate thrust, making crewed missions to distant planets significantly more manageable and cheaper.

The Pentagon UFO Video Release [The AATIP Investigation!] | Recap EP #2

MJ Banias·February 1, 2021

In this episode of The Official Debrief Podcast Recap, we explore the hunt for alien life in the cosmos and the Pentagon's UFO program!

The Mars Perseverance Rover is Three Weeks Away from the Red Planet.

MJ Banias·January 29, 2021

Perseverence is slated for a February 18, 2021 landing in the Jezero Crater. It will spend the next Martian year hunting for "biosignatures."

Is Science Too Specialized and Why Does it Matter?

MJ Banias·January 28, 2021

Astrobiologist Tessa Fisher explains how science and research can become too specialized and why interdisciplinary communication is critical to the application of science and technology.

What is a Solar Sail?

Astrobiologist Tessa Fisher Talks About Solar Sails on The Official Debrief Podcast.

MJ Banias·January 27, 2021

Astrobiologist Tessa Fisher explains how solar radiation interacts with a solar sail and whether or not it explains 'Oumuamua.

Section 31: The Military Coders Who Hacked How We Track Objects in Space

MJ Banias·January 21, 2021

Section 31 is a group of coders that have hacked their way into keeping track of all objects in Earth's orbit, both known and unknown.

NASA Analysis Says 2020 Is Tied for The Hottest Year on Record

MJ Banias·January 18, 2021

Last week, NASA announced that 2020 was the hottest year on record beating 2016 by one-tenth of a degree Celsius.

Shocking Documents Show Government Paid Millions to Chase UFOs and Werewolves

MJ Banias·January 13, 2021

A Debrief investigation and new unredacted documents shows the odd history of a secretive government program into UFOs and the paranormal.

New Study Shows Robots May Be Able to Have ‘Empathy’

Researchers develop a robot that can predict the actions of another based purely on visual cues.

MJ Banias·January 11, 2021

A new study from Columbia University has proven that a robot can anticipate another robot's actions based solely upon visual cues. Empathy may be next.

Capitol Hill Rioters Scrub Their Social Media in Race Against Archivists

MJ Banias·January 7, 2021

To secure as much evidence as possible, researchers are scraping the internet to create an archive of evidence for the Capitol Hill Riot.

Sandia Labs Will Begin Developing Novel Alloys Using Machine Learning

MJ Banias·January 7, 2021

Sandia National Labs announced it has successfully deployed machine learning to aid in developing novel alloys and materials.

Meet The Scientists Hunting for Alien Technology Through ‘Technosignatures’

MJ Banias·December 28, 2020

The scientists who search for extraterrestrial technosignatures are coming up in the astronomy world and they want you to know it.

China Used Exoskeletons to Recover Lunar Material

Experts say exoskeletons are no longer Science Fiction but a soon-to-be part of everyday life.

MJ Banias·December 23, 2020

China's recent use of powered bodysuits to recover lunar material coincides with rapid growth occurring among exoskeleton companies.

SETI Detected A Mystery Signal From A Nearby Star

Radio Signals Detected by SETI Researchers may be First Artificial Signal from an Exoplanet.

MJ Banias·December 21, 2020

A team of researchers from SETI have detected a mystery signal coming from Proxima Centauri, our closest cosmic neighbor.

New Commercial Satellite’s Images Are So Clear They Raise Privacy Concerns

MJ Banias·December 19, 2020

Capella Space just announced that it has created a satellite so powerful that it can see through walls and take crystal clear photos anywhere.

Dwarf Planet Ceres A Possible Candidate For Extraterrestrial Life

MJ Banias·December 16, 2020

New data indicates that Ceres may be an ocean world, and other recent discoveries suggests that water may be common in our solar system.

Lethal Drones Won’t Transform Warfare But They Will Transform Terrorism

Rogue Actors and the Future Threat of Lethal UAVs.

MJ Banias·December 6, 2020

Experts are concerned that lethal drones will be truly transformative when placed into the hands of non-state actors and terrorists.

SpaceX Looking to Hire a “Space Suit Sewer”

The company offers the lucky applicant a place to "contribute to history by creating space suits for future missions."

MJ Banias·December 6, 2020

Private space exploration company SpaceX has recently posted a position seeking a Space Suit Sewer for future missions.

Is There Life on Mars? New Study Says It’s Probably Underground

MJ Banias·December 3, 2020

A new study concludes that if life ever existed on Mars, it would have to dwell well below the planet's surface.

New Findings May Place the Asteroid Apophis Within Striking Distance of Earth

Apophis May Strike Earth in 2068 Due to Yarkovsky Effect.

MJ Banias·December 2, 2020

New data presented in late October indicates that the 340-meter-wide Apophis asteroid may drift much closer to Earth than initially thought.

Researchers Want to Build A Laser ‘Tractor Beam’ to Control Weather

A New Study Proposes Using Lasers to Manipulate The Path of Lightning.

MJ Banias·December 1, 2020

A new study by an international team of scientists proposes using lasers to create a tractor beam to manipulate lightning during storms.

SETI Astronomer Bets You a Cup of Coffee that We Find Aliens by 2036

Seth Shostak gives an update on SETI's current hunt for extraterrestrial intelligence.

MJ Banias·November 30, 2020

Seth Shostak says the betting odds are in his favor.

Iconic Arecibo Telescope To Be Demolished Due to Structural Failures

Repairing The Dish Far Too Risky As Support Cables Fail.

MJ Banias·November 20, 2020

The radio telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico will be demolished after suffering structural damage.

This Lava Exoplanet is Comprised of Burning Rock

Things are looking rocky on K2-141b.

MJ Banias·November 10, 2020

Scientists used simulations to map out the surface conditions of the lava exoplanet K2-141b, a world where it rains burning rocks.