Coolest. Inverted Pendulum. Ever. SpaceX has been testing a system called the Grasshopper that will allow reusable rockets to perform powered landings. Currently, everything that comes back from space either parachutes in and has to be picked up from the middle of nowhere or glides. The link contains a very... [Read More]

One of the biggest overarching problems in space exploration is a misplaced sense of where the Tinfoil Hat Line should lie relative to different applications.  Specifically, much of NASA’s activity and spending lies far to the safe and plausible side of the TFHL, while many private companies field proposals and... [Read More]

You may have wondered at the title of this blog: “The Tinfoil Hat.” Doesn’t that carry strong implications of quackery? Culturally, the tinfoil hat invokes ideas from which most people who consider themselves to be “real” scientists and intellectuals try their utmost to distance themselves. While it’s true that there... [Read More]

Rather than begin this blog with a manifesto, I’m going to (hopefully!) set a precedent for informative, to-the-point posts that are no longer than is necessary. As with any blog, the primary objective here is to share my thoughts with you.  However, there isn’t exactly a plethora of aerospace/mechanical engineering... [Read More]