Various astronomy news

[impaktor]

OK, this is more of an avionics than astronomy news, but: Aerion just got their first order for 20 planes, $120 million each.
http://robbreport.com/aviation/aerion-b ... siness-jet

It's a supersonic carbon-fibre (+titanium wings) air plane (Mach 1.5), which goes into production in 2018, and will be certified in 2021, and available on the market 2023. Crew: 2, passengers: 6.

http://www.aerionsupersonic.com/

[impaktor]

Some nice charts / graphics of exploration timelines:
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-la ... lines.html

[FluffyFreak]

Todays space news in a potential Ninth planet (again) http://www.iflscience.com/possible-nint ... discovered

[FluffyFreak]

I'm not sure if this should go into the astronomy "News" category but it is interesting.

It's a working through of the question: "How long would it take to turn a planets mass into a Dyson Shell/Sphere?"

http://aleph.se/andart2/space/what-is-t ... son-shell/

[FluffyFreak]

Another spin on the where's-all-the-life question, it's dead: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/ ... 012116.php

[FluffyFreak]

Earth to Mars in 30 minutes! (if you're a wafer thin thin lightsail being blasted by 10GW lasers)

[FluffyFreak]

Terraforming a definitive guide (not a how-to)

[err404]

Jupiter Got Whacked by Yet Another Asteroid/Comet! (Phil Plait):
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronom ... _2016.html

video available from Gerrit Kernbauer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LiL7RYG7ac

[impaktor]

"The Curious Link Between the Fly-By Anomaly and the “Impossible” EmDrive Thruster"
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/6012 ... -thruster/

[impaktor]

OK, Sci-Fi but still. Seems like the Hugo award is broken, with trolls messing up the voting process:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/a ... id-puppies