In the annals of Northrop Grumman history, the all-star list of employees consists of scientists, engineers and other innovators. Also on that list is a more unlikely name: Norma Jean Dougherty (born Norma Jeane Mortenson), better known as Marilyn Monroe. Who Was Marilyn Monroe Before She Was "Marilyn"? In 1944, at 18 years old, Norma Jean Dougherty was the wife of a merchant marine living in Burbank, California. While her husband was overseas fighting in World War II, her mother-in-law arranged a job for Dougherty at Radioplane, a target drone manufacturer. Founded by actor, aviator and UAV enthusiast Reginald Denny, Radioplane was acquired by Northrop, later part of Northrop Grumman, in 1952. Before his acting career, Denny served as a gunner during World War I in the Royal Flying Corps. His love of aviation led him to create the drone-making operation, according to HistoryNet. Working 10-hour days for $20 a week, Dougherty's main job was to inspect and spray parachutes with fire retardant, as reported by The New York Times. At the same time, she assembled some of the 15,000 OQ-2 Radioplanes that were built during WWII and used in training exercises for American soldiers to practice shooting at moving targets. According to The New York Times, despite warnings from her family that the fumes from the fire retardant would ruin her health and damage her hair, Dougherty kept the job at Radioplane. The natural beauty and glamour that would one day make her famous benefited her during these early years: she won a $50 war bond at a picnic and was crowned the "queen" of the company, laying the groundwork for her career as Marilyn Monroe.  A Star Discovered in an Unlikely Place Norma Jean's transformation into Marilyn started with a series of photos by U.S. Army photographer David Conover. On assignment to take photos of women working on the war production assembly lines, Conover met Dougherty. While none of her photos were used for the effort, she quit her job in 1945 and began modeling for Conover, according to Illinois University. She quickly rose to stardom, going on to appear in classic hits like "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "Some Like it Hot." Where the discovery of Norma Jean was the precursor to the one-and-only Marilyn Monroe, the OQ-2 radioplane was the predecessor to modern drone warfare. Reginald Denny's company ceased operation after its acquisition by Northrop Aircraft, but the legacy of the OQ-2 lives on. Its inception led to drones that have been used for reconnaissance, search and rescue, and research. So, next time you ask yourself, "who was Marilyn Monroe?", remember Norma Jean Dougherty. The idea that a non-published photo of a fresh-faced brunette assembling one of the very first unmanned aerial vehicles would lead to the discovery of a future celebrity is almost unimaginable. Add on to the fact that her story is forever tied with that of the OQ-2 radioplane and Northrop Grumman history, and you've got yourself a quintessential Hollywood ending.

Marilyn Monroe Has a Place in Northrop Grumman History

As the population grows and income inequality increases along with it, creating affordable housing becomes more challenging. While plastic has been a dirty word in environmental circles for decades, it could hold the key to affordable and sustainable housing. Architects and city planners are looking at uses for plastic that harness environmental technology to build housing for those struggling to make ends meet.  NPR reported that in 2017 China passed the National Sword policy, banning plastic waste from being imported for recycling. This law, which went into effect in January of this year, states that China will no longer be responsible for recycling plastic waste imported from other countries, citing protection of the environment.   Western countries like the U.S. and Mexico, however, have to figure out new ways to recycle materials like plastic, according to Export.gov.   Creating Afforable Housing With Plastic   Globally, plastic waste is reaching catastrophic levels. It's filling up landfills, clogging waterways, and choking coral and sea life. To combat this epidemic, new uses for plastic are being brainstormed by researchers and governments alike.   According to OECD.org, seven out of every 10 Mexicans are living in a state of poverty. Mexican startup company EcoDom hopes to help mitigate this by using recyclables to construct affordable homes.   EcoDom is collecting plastic and melting it down to create walls that can become the building blocks of viable structures for affordable housing. Each house is built in a week's time and uses two tons of plastic. The plastic collected is sorted to find the types that will not emit harmful fumes when melted down. The company sells the individual pieces to local governments at a low price; the agency in charge of housing then builds the homes and sells them to low-income families, according to Unreasonable.   Is the U.S. On Board With Plastic Waste Initiatives?   Initiatives to combat our growing waste problems are catching on across the globe, but could they work to tackle the mounting plastic waste issues the United States is facing?   According to National Geographic, about 91 percent of recyclable plastic in the U.S. ends up in landfills or oceans, partly because of complicated recycling guidelines. Startups across the country have been trying to find ways to combat our existing landfill and waste issues. One company, ByFusion, started an Indiegogo campaign last year to raise money to fund ByBlocker, a machine they created that compresses any type of plastic waste into blocks. According to ByFusion, these blocks are viable building materials, which are ideal for insulation, non-load bearing walls and retaining walls — especially interesting given rising sea levels.   That said, reactions to these kinds of projects in the U.S. are mixed; ByFusion didn't meet even half of its funding goal.   It's a Group Effort   It's going to take a lot of ingenuity to bring down the levels of plastic waste globally. It's also going to take a lot of convincing. Consumers, corporations and governments especially need to be onboard with these initiatives, buy their products, invest in environmental technology and become part of the solution to this collective problem.

Finding Uses For Plastic in Affordable Housing and Building

Last year, genetically modified apples, particularly the Arctic apple (engineered to prevent browning), entered the consumer market in a big way. Though there has been some hesitation from consumers to accept genetically modified organisms, the creators of Arctic apples are hoping that their product will serve as a successful example of GMOs.   According to The Washington Post, "Industry executives predict the apple could open a whole new trade in genetically engineered produce, potentially opening the market to pink pineapples, antioxidant-enriched tomatoes, and other food currently in development."   What are some of the obstacles of genetically modified food, and will consumers eventually accept GMOs?   GMO Skeptics vs. Facts   The USDA reported in 2017 that the adoption of GMOs in farming has grown during the past few decades. However, the conversation among consumers doesn't put GMOs in the best light. Despite research suggesting that GMOs are safe, Stefaan Blancke, a philosopher at Ghent University in Belgium, theorizes that many people have a false belief that GMO equals contamination.   Blancke released a study where he and Belgian biotechnologists examined why negative publicity surrounding genetically modified food resonated with consumers better than their own researched benefits. As Blancke notes in a Scientific American article, the answer is pretty simple. Negative representations of GMOs are more intuitively appealing because they catch our attention. They tap into our tendency to view anything that strays from the natural order of things as dangerous and unhealthy. "The popular term "Frankenfood" captures what is at stake: by going against the will of nature in an act of hubris, we are bound to bring enormous disaster upon ourselves," he says.   Blancke concludes that the solution to fighting this misinformation begins with educating us about GMOs and emphasizing the benefits for consumers and farmers.   Consumers Want GMO Labeling, Despite Objections   A poll conducted by ABC News illustrates that most Americans are still highly skeptical of GMOs: 93 percent of Americans favor mandatory GMO labeling, and 52 percent of those polled believed that GMOs are unsafe.    Despite the objections by leading science and governmental organizations, many grocery chains across the country are adding labels to their produce. This year, Whole Foods will label all items containing GMOs, following the lead of their Great Britain-based stores, thanks to the EU-mandated laws for labeling such products.   Like it or Not, GMOs are Here to Stay   While genetically modified apples may be the most recent example of GMOs hitting American grocery shelves, our produce has been influenced by genetic engineering for a long time. Crops like soy and corn are some of the most heavily modified, either for durability or improved nutrition. Most controversially, the sugar beet, which has been deregulated since 2005, makes up half of the country's sugar market, according to the USDA.   Today, climate change affects every aspect of our lives, from pollination to national security, while our need to adapt grows. PRI magazine reports that some scientists believe modifying crops resilient to the challenges ahead could prevent food shortages and increase our ability to survive our ever-changing planet. 

Engineering Apples: The Impact of Genetically Modified Food

While technology may seem to be moving away from nature, scientists are researching biomimicry architecture — looking at the animal world for inspiration on drone and robot design. By observing traits like skeletal structure and muscle and neural networks from different animal species as examples of biomimicry blueprints, scientists could model technology after nature to develop drones that fly more effectively or robots that have more fluid and natural movements. Three types of creatures are leading the way in influencing how drones and robots will navigate the future. Birds When it comes to applying animal biology to drone creation, the best place to look is in the air. Birds are influencing the way drones fly for obvious reasons, but also because special traits result in unique flight methods for different types of birds. For example, owls need to be able to hunt quietly. Their silent, aerodynamic wings make this possible; a low aspect ratio and large wingspan causes them to fly slower. The skeletal structure of the bird of prey's wings also contributes to virtually silent flight, with serrations on the edge of their wings and fringed feather vanes completing the effect, according to the Royal Society. Scientists could use these traits to create quieter drones for use in public spaces — delivery drones, for example — according to Seeker. Birds have also influenced the way drones can fly in bad weather or hard winds, providing additional examples of biomimicry. Researchers at the é‰cole Polytechnique Fé©dé©rale de Lausanne Laboratory of Intelligent Systems used synthetic wings to help create a drone that can take sharp turns and navigate urban spaces or areas where the wind can change rapidly. They drew inspiration from birds' ability to change the shape of their wings using their unique skeletal structure, according to Seeker. Even waterfowl are getting the biomimicry treatment. Diving birds inspired the creation of the Aquatic Micro Air Vehicle (AquaMAV) at the Aerial Robotics Laboratory at Imperial College London. The AquaMAV can dive directly into the water at high speeds, popping back up and expelling water through a jet to return to flight easily. Applications for this type of robot vary from collecting water samples to rescue missions and underwater exploration, according to Seeker. Insects When it comes to making microrobots fly and navigate more efficiently, insects provide the perfect guide. Butterflies have large wingspans that allow for gliding through the sky with low drag rates, and their forewings produce maximum lift. These features could inspire similar wing structures in flying microrobots, enabling them to fly further and avoid mishaps quickly, according to the Royal Society. Recently, a study from the University of Queensland's Queensland Brain Institute indicated that honeybees have preferences for left- and right-handedness when in flight. According to Professor Mandyam Srinivasan, this could inform strategies for steering drone fleets. This isn't the first time Srinivasan and his team have drawn inspiration from the natural world when it comes to aircraft development. Last year, they released a study that proved birds don't crash in flight because they always veer right, which could have implications for automatic anti-crash systems in aircraft, according to The University of Queensland, Australia. Reptiles Other researchers, like Professor Robert J. Full from the University of California Berkley Poly-Pedal Lab, focus on animal body structures to develop biomechanics. Full's team focuses on features big and small to figure out what traits serve animals best and how to re-create them in robots. For example, the natural world provided the team with inspiration for an autonomous amphibious robot that can travel underwater, a robot that can climb walls like a gecko and more. The Future of Drones The pace of technology's advancement depends on researchers figuring out new ways to make machines more efficient and adaptable. The best examples of those traits come from nature and can be tapped into through biomimicry architecture. If current trends are maintained, we may come to a point where the things that make animals unique are the same things that make drones and robots astounding.

Biomimicry Architecture is Influencing Robot Design

Over the past decade, we've seen every type of science fiction TV series hit the market, from adaptations of novels like "The Expanse" and "Altered Carbon" to original series like "Black Mirror." The opportunities to showcase science, as well as stretch the truth, are seemingly endless. Topics explored in some of the best sci-fi shows span all realms of science, but some shows are more realistic than others. Let's take a look at topics that get the most attention from the genre. Space Travel: Not Quite a Cruise Most modern depictions of space travel aren't realistic, according to Space.com. One show that accurately depicted the harsh reality of current space travel was SyFy's series, "The Expanse." Based on the sci-fi novel series of the same name by James S.A. Corey, the pen name for authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, "The Expanse" has been a quiet darling in the science community because of its dedication to getting the physics of space travel as accurate as possible. While a classic science fiction TV series like "Star Trek" makes hurtling through the universe seem pleasant, "The Expanse" depicts it much more accurately. As Public Radio International noted, "Spaceships aren't sleek and responsive, and space isn't sexy — it's downright inhospitable." Naren Shankar, the show's executive producer, told PRI, "The issues of air and water and just protection from that environment are constantly an issue in the show." Body Swapping The Netflix series "Altered Carbon" has taken topics in biology and neuroscience to the outskirts of current possibilities, but it isn't that far off. "Altered Carbon" explores the world of body swapping, where one's consciousness can be uploaded into new bodies, called "sleeves." These sleeves go on living the life of the consciousness now inhabiting the body regardless of what they were in their old sleeves — a child could become a middle-aged woman, or a man could wake up centuries after his death in an entirely new body. But wouldn't human consciousness be too deep and profound to be boiled down to a few uploadable cells and neurons? Not necessarily. Anil Seth, a professor of cognitive and computational neuroscience, explained to SyFyWire that consciousness is "any kind of subjective experience" and lives in a series of neurons that produce memories when activated. Transferring neurons to a new body could be as simple as mapping and recording them. Seth explained that, in the case of "Altered Carbon," the problem lies in the transferring. As SyFyWire puts it, "A person's sense of self is not just a set of memories but is tied to their physical body. So if human consciousness could be transferred then it would 'massively' alter their personal identity." Even transferring just the brain to a new body doesn't ensure that the consciousness will remain the same. Recreating Memories The same concept holds true for visual reconstruction. In season 4 of "Black Mirror," visual reconstruction, or the concept of gathering the memories of others for viewing, is explored. In the series, this method is used for tracking and surveillance, and to aid in criminal investigations. Constraint-free neural image reconstruction was recently tested by a Chinese research team. They "found that the reconstructed images resembled the natural stimuli, especially in position and shape. The experimental results suggest that hierarchical visual features can effectively express the visual perception process of [the] human brain." The science journal Nature also reported on a technique called multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA), which can decode the brain by uploading fMRI data to software that learns and assesses neural patterns that coincide with certain thoughts and experiences.  While some of the best sci-fi shows have taken more liberties than others, a few take their depictions of science very seriously and do their best to be as realistic as possible. Even if they aren't 100 percent accurate, promoting the sciences is important. More interest translates into a bigger and brighter future for the world of research. If you're interested in making scientific research your life's work, consider a career with Northrop Grumman.

The Reality of Science Fiction TV Series

 In a paper from California Institute of Technology's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the author laments the loss of connection between machine learning and solving real-world problems. The main question that seems to come up is: what good can machine learning or artificial intelligence (AI) do? A lot, as it turns out. AI could play a big role in aiding and even solving the issues of world hunger and poverty in ways that are surprisingly simple, but increasingly necessary.   AI's Natural Abilities Used in New Ways    When you think of AI, it's possible that fixing world hunger isn't the first application that comes to mind. However, when broken down to their most basic components, world issues need more of one thing: data. The right kind of data can help identify issues that impoverished regions face, which, in turn, can lead to solutions. Information processing and solution finding are the backbone of AI, and enlisting its help can generate the data required by global initiatives to identify regions in the greatest need of aid.    Global programs like the United Nations and World Bank have launched initiatives to reduce world hunger and poverty that need the massive amounts of data and analytics that AI technology can mine and sift through. The UN is developing strategies at conferences like AI for Good Global Summit to figure out how AI can help them fulfill their Sustainable Development Goals, while the World Bank is taking a more direct approach. They've partnered with Orbital Insight, a geospatial analysis company, to determine whether satellite data can improve ways of tracking poverty and socioeconomic trends globally.  Capturing images of distressed areas via satellite, for example, provides markers that measure how a village is doing. A team of scientists from Stanford University's Department of Earth System Science created a poverty mapping technique that uses satellite images to capture and measure luminosity levels to determine what potentially impoverished areas look like during the day and night. The daytime images highlight the homes, roads, cars and other aspects of the village to provide a baseline of how many people live there and what resources are nearby. If the population is sparse or the area is rural, less light in nighttime satellite images would be expected. However, if a village is well populated but has less electricity than expected, that can be an indicator of poverty.    Gathering this type of data could make it possible to pinpoint the areas most affected by poverty. Providing that information to humanitarian groups, NGOs and even governments could better equip them to deal with a region's unique issues.   In Times of Crisis ...    As smartphones gain popularity in the developing world, the possibilities for AI to contribute to struggling communities grow. Researchers from the Data Science Institute and Department of Computing at Imperial College in London developed an algorithm that can look at mobile data from users in a region to predict the gender of the user. When a disaster hits, those traceable demographics could potentially help identify and track the most vulnerable users (such as women with young children) and get aid to them faster, even in remote or dangerous areas.    Another method of tracking crisis victims combines smartphones with our innate human need to socialize or let our friends and family know when something is going on. Crisis-mapping technology uses social media, email and texts to identify and map areas where a natural disaster or other humanitarian crisis is happening. An open source software program created by researchers from the Qatar Computing Research Institute called Artificial Intelligence for Disaster Response (AIDR) collects and classifies tweets posted during an event. Using a keyword and tag tracker, this software marries machine learning and the natural human impulse to share and connect during times of crisis to create virtual maps that can show events as they are happening.   Enable targeting cookies to view this content.   Despite all of the good that planning, gathering data, and developing programs may do, helping those in crisis does require some on the ground (or in the sky) legwork. Humanitarian aid is an important part of the mission that the Northrop Grumman autonomous aircraft system Global Hawk has taken on. In 2013, it was able to find a safe zone for humanitarian aid during Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines using data collected through detailed imagery. It was also able to determine safe roads and fields to guide rescue teams to displaced survivors to get them help. In addition to being an "eye in the sky" for rescue missions, Global Hawk also supported requests from international partners to surveil areas of Haiti after the earthquake in 2010 and the Fukushima disaster in 2011.   AI and Humanity Entering the Future, Hand-in-Hand    Next steps for injecting AI and machine learning into humanitarian aid vary from collecting and developing crops that can adapt to a changing climate to drones and smartphone accessories that can deliver medical attention to remote areas. These methods aren't tactics being saved for a far-off future; they can happen right now. Jack Hidary, a serial tech entrepreneur and Senior Advisor to XLabs, told the Telegraph that "In low-income areas, agriculture and healthcare are two critical ecosystems that we can apply AI to immediately."    While the debate rages on about artificial intelligence and how it will affect the workforce of those in developed nations, those in developing nations could benefit from the intervention of technology into their lives. Partnerships between world health organizations and AI-driven initiatives like Orbital Insight, AIDR and Global Hawk show that the efforts to combat world hunger are becoming more focused. As AI technology evolves, its role in providing solutions and data to help combat world problems will grow, providing us with an insight into our world and society that we may have never seen without it.

World Hunger and Disaster Relief Are the Next Targets for Artificial Intelligence

While the Flint, Michigan, water crisis maintains its spotlight in the news, everyday people are taking it upon themselves to help. Take Gitanjali Rao, a 12-year-old seventh grader from Lone Tree, Colorado, with a budding interest in water safety and epidemiology. An avid reader of MIT's Materials Science and Engineering website, Rao got the idea for a more effective way to test for water quality after watching the turmoil in Flint and seeing just how difficult the process was when her parents tested water in their own home, NPR reported. What Is the Flint Water Crisis? According to CNN, pipeline construction to send water from Lake Huron to Flint began in 2014. While construction was underway, the city relied on the Flint River as its main water source. Over the course of a year, multiple water tests were conducted, and each showed elevated lead levels. Since then, multiple lawsuits have been filed against the state of Michigan, the city of Flint and many of the officials involved in the switch in water source. Water Testing Needs an Upgrade Some of the most common methods of testing water for lead include sending out water samples to the EPA or purchasing at-home lead testing kits from a hardware store. The former requires a lot of time and patience, while the latter is less than reliable, said USA Today. Wrangling information from a water provider is also difficult; they may not even know the state of their pipes or what they're made from. USA Today documented the hurdles to getting this kind of information, describing an arduous process of communicating with customer service and many unanswered questions. Taking on the Challenge of Water Safety Rao felt existing methods for water testing weren't effective, and late last year, she decided to do something to change it, according to NPR. Rao's solution was a water lead contamination detector known as Tethys, named for the Greek goddess of fresh water.  In her submission video for the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, Rao explained that the carbon nanotubes in the device's sensor are sensitive to changes in the flow of electrons caused by heavy lead concentrations. When the sensor is submerged in water, it measures the reaction of the electrons; an app translates this data to tell the user whether the water is safe to drink. Last summer, Rao was awarded the title "America's Top Young Scientist" in the challenge, earning $25,000 and the opportunity to work with scientists from 3M to further develop her detector. What's Next for Rao?  While Rao plans on using some of her prize money for college, she also wants to invest it to develop the sensor into a commercial product to take on the ongoing water crisis. At the end of her submission video, Rao explained her hopes for the future of her device: "It can be expanded in the future for other chemical contaminants in potable water. I hope it helps in a small way to detect and prevent long-term health effects of lead contamination for many of us." If working on technology to keep people and the environment safe is what you're looking for, check out careers with Northrop Grumman.

A Young Scientist Takes on Flint's Water Crisis

Smartphones are arguably one of the most convenient inventions of the 21st century. We can make phone calls, browse the internet, bank online and post to social media, all from one device. Unfortunately, smartphones can also be a data goldmine for hackers. Last year, Engadget reported on T-Mobile's reveal to customers that a bug in their system allowed hackers access to their email addresses, accounts and personal information. So, is your device safe? Do you know how phone hacking works or how to prevent hacking? How Phone Hacking Works When T-Mobile discovered that they had a bug that allowed hackers to steal customer information — including International Mobile Subscriber Identity numbers — they were able to stop it before it caused too much damage. This attack, however, perfectly illustrates how easily hackers can steal information. Motherboard warned that once hackers have International Mobile Subscriber Identity numbers, they can track the locations of their victims or intercept phone calls. SIM cards are also targeted by hackers, Motherboard noted, allowing them to steal a customer's phone number and take control of their identity. Be Vigilant in Public Spaces Unsecured Wi-Fi is an easy target for hackers, according to the Harvard Business Review. Free internet access may come at a cost when visiting airports or cafes. The data shared over these unsecured networks is just that — unsecured and unencrypted. All it takes is for someone to exploit a flaw in the network to gain access to browsing behaviors, account logins and even transactions made over that connection. As far as remote attacks go, apps seem to be the most efficient way of hacking into mobile devices. The seemingly endless quantity of apps available means that it's impossible for companies to root through the coding of every single one to ensure that they are safe. This means that malicious coding that steals data could live in those apps. Wired explained that hackers can use malware to trick users into downloading seemingly harmless apps, which gives them access to the phone's operating system. How to Prevent Hacking While the attacks themselves now outpace safeguarding capabilities, there are preventative measures users can take to protect themselves. Cell phone providers, such as Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon, allow users to create a password specifically when calling customer support, which could effectively deter hackers from stealing phone numbers, per Motherboard. Additionally, passwords should be different for each phone app; password management systems like LastPass can help create encrypted passwords. Users can also install security features like two-step verification and biometrics to gain access to their phones. Adapting to an Ever-Hackable World Hacking has evolved into the new blackmail. While the threat is very real and dangerous, there are ways to prevent it and recover. Don't let yourself fall victim to a preventable attack — install security features like two-factor authentication, be wary of public Wi-Fi networks and implement encrypted passwords.

How Phone Hacking Works and How to Prevent It

 Since the 19th century, the term "gold rush" has reminded us of that uniquely human drive to seek out riches in desolate areas no matter the risk. Whether it was the intrepid forty-niners traveling west to scavenge California's Sacramento Valley or searching the Black Hills of South Dakota in 1874, people have ventured far and wide to find treasures that exceed our wildest dreams. Now, asteroid mining is on track to be a potential treasure trove of resources for our generation. While the quest for gold has diminished since the 18th and 19th centuries, our desire to search far and wide for riches hasn't — we're just looking in a different direction. Riches and Resources Abound?  Asteroid mining has been on the minds of space exploration companies a lot lately, and for good reason. On top of boosting the economy of private space exploration and getting humans more engaged with their galactic surroundings, there may be actual treasures waiting to be found on asteroids: palladium and platinum. Some classes of asteroids are estimated to carry almost one ton of extractable platinum group metals, a quantity that alone could be worth upwards of $50 million. Finding these metals on Earth would require a dig of about 4,000 miles, so the benefits they could provide to our current and future status might be worth the trouble of mining in space.  Palladium is a key component of many pieces of machinery, used to make them run cleanly and more efficiently. The metal is used in catalytic converters, which convert about 90 percent of harmful automobile exhaust fumes into less noxious ones, as well as groundwater treatment and hydrogen purification. Palladium also works as a key part of fuel cells that react to hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity. Aside from metal, there's also the potential to find carbonaceous chondrite asteroids. These C-type asteroids have been cited as the original source of water found on Earth. Water collected from asteroids can provide hydration to astronauts, oxygen for life support and hydrogen and oxygen-based fuel for rockets. Eyes on the Prize and in the Sky  Despite the potential reward, mining asteroids does pose some situational challenges, especially when it comes to deciding which ones are worth pursuing and which will be the space version of fool's gold. Gold rush miners didn't have experts to tell them when a potential dig would lead to a dud, but their asteroid-mining descendants do: astronomers. Martin Elvis, an astrophysicist at the Smithsonian, says that tools like the Magellan 6.5-meter telescopes in Chile could be used to characterize which asteroids might be valuable in about one to two minutes. According to Elvis, 85 percent of the asteroids could be ruled out based on color, leaving only 15 percent as prospective mining areas for exploratory missions.  Enable targeting cookies to view this content.  Planetary Resources, the private company backed by investors like Google's Larry Page and filmmaker James Cameron, plans to build a fleet of small, simple telescopes with the sole focus of hunting for asteroids. Lightweight, cost-effective telescopes and space crafts, similar to Northrop Grumman's line of Eagle Spacecraft products, are cheaper to make than larger government-funded ones, and can be launched in numbers, making it easier to replace a broken unit.  Once a prospective asteroid has been spotted, the plan is to launch tiny probe bots that can latch on to the asteroids using an anchor. Because smaller asteroids don't carry their own field of gravity, the best way to do this is through the deployment tiny drills that can secure themselves into the surface to dock the bot. When docked, the bot would analyze the rock for valuable metals and could potentially attach a tracker to the asteroid to find it again later if further testing is needed. At this point, harvesting becomes the most significant challenge to overcome.  Where collecting water vapors from a C-type asteroid is relatively simple, retrieving metals will prove to be more complicated. Harry McSween, geoscientist at the University of Tennessee and chair of the surface composition group for NASA's Dawn asteroid probe, worries that anchoring to these bodies would be difficult, as would trying to cut a piece off for processing. But John Lewis, professor emeritus at the University of Arizona, thinks that if the asteroids are composed of enough metal, samples could be collected using a magnet.  While still riddled with uncertainty and roadblocks, the path to mining asteroids for riches and resources we need (or just want) is getting clearer. With the evolution of private space exploration, the partnerships between intrepid university researchers and unwavering human determination, the next discovery phase of unknown treasure is closer and more feasible than ever before.

Asteroid Mining and the Gold Rush of the 21st Century

Over the last 20 years, anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) zones have entered the global military strategy conversation in a big way. Although A2/AD methods have been around since antiquity, recent technology advances have catapulted them to center stage. Non-Western players like Russia and China are growing their resources to use A2/AD to their advantage, according to Defense One. The Chinese investment in ballistic missiles, submarines and air defense implies that they are focusing on preventing access to their shores. At the same time, Russia is growing their capabilities to advance their agenda and test the waters in Eastern Europe. The abundance of A2/AD technology strengthens their ability to control who can enter certain areas via normal transportation methods. Using their advanced air systems, Russia can hold a region hostage by controlling or monitoring an area's railroads, airports and ports, according to Defense One. While these A2/AD arsenals are expanding, the U.S. military has a dire need to meet the challenges this new world poses. The Air Force Needs a Stealth Upgrade Currently, only 12 percent of the U.S. Air Force fleet can operate in anti-access/area denial zones, according to National Defense Magazine. This poses a problem for the U.S., not only in terms of national security and protecting our fleet, but also when it comes to protecting our place in the world as a leader in military technology. In early 2017, the Air Force tasked Northrop Grumman with building a new stealth fighter called the B-21 Raider. According to National Defense Magazine, the B-21 Raider "is expected to give the Pentagon a new long-range strike system that can carry nuclear or conventional weapons deep into well-defended enemy airspace and not get shot down ... Pentagon officials have said ... they expect the aircraft to achieve initial operating capability in the mid-2020s." Another potential win for the Air Force would be adapting current A2/AD capabilities to meet modern-day challenges. While the B-21 is in production, the B-2 fighters are testing modifications to their Defense Management System, which uses sensors, software and other radar-evading technology to preserve and expand their stealth abilities. The upgrades would integrate new technology and modernize the fleet, said Military.com. Meeting the Challenge Ideally, counterinsurgency methods like working with international partners to expand areas of operations and gathering intelligence to develop strategies would be at the forefront of any plan of action, according to The Royal Swedish Academy of Air Sciences. At the same time, mainstream counterinsurgency isn't enough; defense systems and stealth technology need upgrades to match the threatening parties' technology so that both tactics can work together in the fight against aggressors. Meeting the challenges A2/AD zones provide is a long game, one that needs smart technology to counteract the actions being taken by other players. While we grow our arsenals and expand our own capabilities, it's important to keep a watchful eye on the growth and advancements of other countries' assets and how they are using them to wield power.

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Marilyn Monroe Has a Place in Northrop Grumman History

In Northrop Grumman history, the all-star list of employees includes famous scientists, but did you know Marilyn Monroe once worked on the assembly line?

Finding Uses For Plastic in Affordable Housing and Building

Architects and city planners think building affordable housing out of recyclable plastics may be one of the best uses for plastic.

Engineering Apples: The Impact of Genetically Modified Food

GMO apples are just the tip of the iceberg: genetically modified food has become an essential part of our agricultural production.

Biomimicry Architecture is Influencing Robot Design

Scientists are finding inspiration in nature through biomimicry architecture to create more efficient robots and drones.

The Reality of Science Fiction TV Series

Learn more about how popular science fiction TV series are getting science right...and wrong.

World Hunger and Disaster Relief Are the Next Targets for Artificial Intelligence

You may not initally think artificial intelligence can be used as a tool in combating world hunger and assisting in disaster relief. But it's happening.

A Young Scientist Takes on Flint's Water Crisis

Read more about Gitanjali Rao, a young scientist doing her part to help solve the water safety crisis.

How Phone Hacking Works and How to Prevent It

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Asteroid Mining and the Gold Rush of the 21st Century

Asteroid mining is on track to be our generation's version of testing our limits to obtain the riches we hope are out there.

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