Technology

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Confirmation arrived of the acquisition by Google of 1,023 IBM patents. No, it’s not the same story already published a few weeks ago: this is a new acquisition of a nearly equal number of patents and this time there is a complete list. Like a few weeks ago, however, the amount paid by Google remains confidential.

Artistic concept of the Space Launch System during a lift off (image NASA)

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NASA announced its Space Launch System (SLS) project for the next space travel, even beyond the Moon. The new system combines elements of the Space Shuttle program, the Constellation program that was to replace it but then was abandoned and several innovations that we hope will be developed. This system is designed to launch an Orion Crew Vehicle Multi-Purpose (MPCV).

Artistic concept showing the GRAIL spacecrafts at work (image NASA/JPL-Caltech)

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The two twin spacecraft that make up the GRAIL (Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory) took off on a Delta II launch vehicle. The GRAIL mission aims to map the structure of the lunar crust and lithosphere to understand how it evolved.

Michael S. Hart (left) and Greg Newby (right) in 2006

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News arrived of the death of Michael S. Hart, the founder of Project Gutenberg. He fought to encourage the creation and distribution of books in electronic format, to eliminate ignorance and illiteracy and to provide as many books in electronic form to as many people as possible.