Recently a meteor crashed in Russia, injuring close a thousand people. What if we could prevent such an event from happening again? That’s what a few California scientists are hoping to accomplish with their solar powered concept, the “Directed Energy Solar Targeting of Asteroids and Exploration” or DE-Star.

So what would De-Star be and do exactly? The idea is that it would function as an orbiting system that could channel solar power into a phased array of laser beams, could then be used to blast meteors and space rocks, or even perhaps as a defense against hostile alien forces.

The beam could work a few different ways: it could be used to destroy, evaporate or even push such objects into a new direction. It could also prove useful for assessing an asteroid’s composition, aiding in future tasks like mining in space.
Sounds pretty far fetched, right? According to the scientists behind it, Gary B. Hughes from California Polytechnic State University, it is actually possible with current technology.

“This system is not some far-out idea from Star Trek,” Hughes said. “All the components of this system pretty much exist today. Maybe not quite at the scale that we’d need — scaling up would be the challenge — but the basic elements are all there and ready to go. We just need to put them into a larger system to be effective, and once the system is there, it can do so many things.”

Besides blasting away asteroids and meteors, the system could also be used for aiding in planetary exploration. The idea for space exploration with this technology is that it could be used to increase the speed of interplanetary travel with a large enough version of De-Star in place. The tech behind it could supposedly power advanced ion drive system for deep space travel and so forth. Of course at this point thing start to get a bit more “Star Trek” compared to what’s technologically possible today.

Bottom-line, the technology behind De-Star could be used to protect our planet and perhaps, someday, even help us advance our presence into other planets beyond our solar system.

Want to know more about what this technology could someday bring? Check out the original article at EarthSky.org.

What do you think of this technology, is it possible and practical enough, or nothing more than a distant pipe-dream?

The post DE-STAR Could Protect Us From Asteroids and Meteors in the Future appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Want to relieve your favorite 80s classics on your smartphone and tablet? While many of these games are already out for your favorite platform, Iconosys has announced a few ports of its own. This includes versions of Space Invaders (aka Android Invaders on Android OS), Galaxian, and Asteroids (Anderoids on Android OS).

According to Iconosys, these games all optimized specifically for iPhone, iPad, Androi phones, Kindle Fire, and the Nook Color. Beyond the classics, they are also releasing a new version of their popular Zombie Slasher game, called Zombie Slasher Los Angeles. All these games go on sale for just $.99 and available from popular marketplace locations like iTunes and Amazon’s Store.

For more information, check out the full press release below.

Laguna Niguel, CA, April 6, 2012 – Iconosys, Inc., a leading mobile safety Smartphone application developer based in Orange County, CA today announces the release of three of the most timeless and memorable arcade classics, now made specifically for your iPhone, iPad, and Android OS Smartphones and Tablets — Space Invaders (aka Android Invaders™ for Android OS only), Galaxian, and Asteroids (aka Anderoids™ for Android OS only).

These new mobile device compatible “shooter-style” games from Iconosys, represent you the player, protecting our planet or yourself against, among other things, aliens, enemies, and flying rocks. All from the convenience of your Smartphone or Tablet, dodge asteroids in Asteroids and enemy kamikaze flying spaceships in Galaxian, or dodge an alien attack and alien fire in the popular hit Space Invaders.

In 1978 and 1979, Atari and Namco released three iconic video games – Asteroids (1979), Space Invaders (1978), and Galaxian (1979) — that saw huge worldwide success, and in some cases, caused a popularity surge bordering on pandemonium. With these offerings, the “Golden Age” of arcade games or arcade gaming was born, following on the heels of arcade-style entertainment that had previously been characterized by such trusty staples as pinball and skeeball.

These new video arcade games were seemingly found everywhere, from restaurants, skating rinks, and airports to convenience stores, gas stations, grocery stores (just about any place where we could fit them!). The popularity of Space Invaders alone caused a world-wide shortage of 100-yen coins, as the Japanese population spent much disposable income in enthusiastically embracing this one game.

Commented Wayne Irving II, President and “Chief Gamer and Pinball Wizard” at Iconosys, “This brings back memories of my childhood. My first real date was at an arcade in the bowling alley in Kissimmee, Florida. I guess my plan to impress my date with my arcade gaming skills backfired; I was so nervous that all I could do was play Centepede and Galaxian “to show off my stuff”, and the girl I was with ended feeling ignored and left out. Too bad I didn’t have this new Smartphone friendly version that I could more easily share with her. Another very popular game, Centipede, is in development and should be released in the coming week or so.”

In addition to these arcade hits, Iconosys also releases the Los Angeles version of their wildly popular Zombie Slasher™ app for Android and iPhone. Zombie Slasher™ Los Angeles app puts you the center of Los Angeles, fighting to stay alive, while you do battle in the streets against the ghoulish, hard-to-kill zombies. Use a sawed off shotgun, a pair of mac-10’s, and a machete to take down the zombies before they get you.

These games have been optimized specifically for the iPhone, iPad, Android OS phones from Motorola, HTC, and Samsung, and for Motorola Xoom Tablets, Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Barnes and Noble’s Nook and Nook Color tablets.

To see short gameplay samples, please visit http://www.youtube.com/iconosysgames

Availability

These apps are currently available for download for a limited time for only .99 cents from AppHysteria.com, Amazon AppStore, Barnes and Noble’s Online Marketplace, and from iTunes.

About Iconosys, Inc.

Iconosys, a member of the National Organization for Youth Safety (NOYS), and the maker of the widely used and well publicized Word Bully™, Guard’s Up!™, LatchKey Kid™, and My Max Speed™ Smartphone apps, is developing technologies and technology driven products for its clients with a goal toward designing apps that enrich, enhance, and ultimately make safer, our day to day lives.

Iconosys develops Apps and technologies for iOS and Android OS Smartphones and tablet computers. See a cross section of some of Iconosys’ catalog of nearly 700 Smart device apps from your Smartphone browser: http://apps.iconosys.com, and from your computer browser: http://iconosys.com/product.php.

The post Iconosys Releases Mobile Space Invaders, Asteroids and More Classics appeared first on Mobile Magazine.