Could the Navy Ever Build a Flying Aircraft Carrier?

By Jeremy Hsu, InnovationNewsDaily Senior Writer, Source: Yahoo.com

Moviegoers can easily recognize flights of fancy when they see the Avengers assemble aboard the flying “Helicarrier” aircraft carrier in Hollywood’s latest superhero blockbuster. But could the U.S. Navy ever build the fantastical military marvel if it wanted a flying air base?

The Navy has experimented with less-ambitious flying aircraft carriers in the 1930s — its rigid airships such as the USS Macon and USS Akron could each carry up to five biplane fighter aircraft. But the modern military’s budget would likely burst trying to build and operate a full-size flying aircraft carrier that weighs 100,000 tons and stretches the length of three football fields, according to a U.S. Navy official at Naval Air Systems Command.

Asteroid Mining Venture Backed by Google Execs, James Cameron Unveiled

By Mike Wall , SPACE.com Senior Writer Space.com | SPACE.com, Source: Yahoo.com / Space.com

A newly unveiled company with some high-profile backers — including filmmaker James Cameron and Google co-founder Larry Page — has announced plans to mine near-Earth asteroids for resources such as precious metals and water.

Planetary Resources, Inc. intends to sell these materials, generating a healthy profit for itself. But it also aims to advance humanity’s exploration and exploitation of space, with resource extraction serving as an anchor industry that helps our species spread throughout the solar system.