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Few things are more challenging than completing a 26-mile marathon, and doing it in space is probably up there. Obviously, British astronaut Tim Peake isn’t actually running a real course, but come April 2016, while Londoners are trekking along the River Thames, Peake will be strapped to a harness system, running the full 26.2 miles on a treadmill aboard the International Space Station. Peake completed the 1999 London Marathon in 3:18:50, and he hopes to do it in less than four hours this year....

Media Platforms Design TeamA joint U.S.-Indian mission to the moon has discovered water on the lunar surface. The Indian Space Research Organization’s Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, carrying spectrometers that measure chemicals, has found the presence of water molecules while mapping the moon. Imaging equipment on two NASA spacecraft–Cassini and Epoxi–helped to confirm the findings.NASA says that water molecules previously were suspected in data from a Cassini flyby of the moon in 1999, but those findings were not published until now....

Astronauts traveling to the International Space Station have been unintentionally depositing trillions of skin microbes over the years. A new study published in the journal Microbiome examined the dust particles in the vacuums and air filters of the ISS and found that microbes have successfully established colonies in space. The findings raise concerns about contamination in future missions to the moon and Mars.Despite rigorous cleaning regimens, several groups of human skin microbes have managed to take root on the ISS, something that has been successfully prevented in NASA cleanrooms on Earth....

Media Platforms Design TeamThe 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens set off a black avalanche of volcanic debris traveling more than 300 mph and flattening 230 square miles of forest in just 3 minutes; meanwhile, a dense column of volcanic ash and toxic sulfur dioxide soared 80,000 feet high and spread out over 22,000 square miles, roughly the size of West Virginia. Now imagine an eruption 1000 times bigger—a blast comparable to 1000 Hiroshima atomic bombs exploding every second....

Because gravity is just not enough, a crazy guy named Jude Gomila attached a jet engine to his snowboard to give it that extra oomph. With a maximum capacity of 6000 watts, the fan can give him a boost of about 22 lbs. of thrust. The results are rather subdued, with Gomila not taking too many risks in the video of his early testing, but we’re betting you could get into some serious stunts (and trouble) with this....

Media Platforms Design TeamMORE MOTORCYCLE MANIA STORIES• TEST DRIVE: New Suzuki Boulevard C109R and C109RT• Q&A: Inside the Extreme World of Motorcycle Trials Riding LOS ANGELES — Honda celebrates its 60th birthday this year. It’s built everything from robots to watercraft, cars, motorcycles and even a personal jet. It’s a dizzying range of mechanical versatility, so we decided to tap into two strains of the Honda gene pool recently for a day of fun testing the Ridgeline pickup truck and new CRF230L road-legal dual-purpose dirt bike to see if we could pick out any shared DNA....

Media Platforms Design TeamWhat Is It2011 Mercedes-Benz SplitView TechnologyWhy It MattersOne of the most frustrating parts of new automotive technology is not the tech itself, but the restrictions posed by lawmakers. Currently, the U.S. doesn’t allow front-seat passengers to view video media unless the car is parked. But the new Mercedes-Benz SplitView screen, debuting on the S-Class, provides a novel work around. The 8-inch Bosch-developed screen can show two pictures simultaneously by using a filter to mask the display, allowing driver and passenger to view different images at the same time....

Media Platforms Design Team SAN FRANCISCO — Volkswagen, like every carmaker these days, is trying to do more with less and still deliver a car at a competitive price tag. Call it corporate belt-tightening, or with a positive spin, efficiency. So when VW heard its traditional customers—the young American couples—have apparently been deserting their Golfs, Jettas and Passats for Mommy-vans—VW knew it needed a traditional American-style minivan, a segment VW considers essential to growing its market share in the US....

The OrbitWheelMedia Platforms Design TeamPrice /// $100How It Works /// There are two separate monowheels, one for each foot. Feet balance inside them, and as legs work in a back-and-forth oscillating motion, the rider starts moving sideways.The Market /// Anyone looking for a major mobility challenge. The motion is awkward, to say the least–rollerbladers, skate boarders or cyclists will not have any advantage here, and everyone will be at risk of falling into a Michael Jackson-style split....

Virtual reality is almost upon us. We can use it to fly around in digital spaceships, or ride in giant virtual mechs, or transport ourselves into countless fictional worlds. Or. OR! To simulate sitting on the couch and watching Netflix. Here’s what that last one will look like: [youtube ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1&v=cSU_7ZPOYHA[/youtube]Yes, along with the final $100 version of Samsung’s Gear VR and virtual reality Minecraft, Oculus took time out today to announce that Netflix and game-streaming service Twitch are also coming to virtual reality, and the folks over at Road to VR just published the above quick look at what that’s like....

Prius owners beware: They’re coming for your power. According to ABC 7 in San Francisco, police there say the newest thing in car theft is the batteries of Toyota Prii and other hybrid cars. Thieves are busting the back window and stealing the batteries, in a smash-and-grab that leaves the something less than a hybrid after they’re done.It’s a relatively quick way to make the buck, The Verge says. Removing them (and doing the job right) takes a pro about an hour, but criminals who cut the cables can get at the 120-pound battery in about 20 minutes....

Whether you’re making a phone call, sending a text, or just buying a cup of coffee with your credit card, you’re creating a constant stream of electronic data. It turns out this data could be used to track you—even if it doesn’t have your name on it.According to Yves-Alexandre de Montjoye, an MIT computer scientist, even totally private metadata—that is, data completely stripped of all person information like names and phone numbers—may not be as anonymous as we’d like to believe....

Media Platforms Design TeamLAS VEGAS — The CTS Sport Concept gets Cadillac one step closer to its goal to be a player in the luxury sport sedan market. It’s equipped with a 304-hp 3.6 liter V6, a cat-back Corsa exhaust system with rectangular tips, and a custom Brembo brake package. Though it’s not an ultra high-performance V-series, the CTS Sport does lend an eye to future GM accessories, such as the Recaro sport bucket seats and clear taillights make an appearance in the tweaked CTS—along with custom bodywork galore....

Imagine how much water flows through the Colorado River each year. Now multiply that by six. According to NASA geophysicists who recently adjusted measurements from a massive geological satellite, that’s how much freshwater is melting from Greenland’s glaciers each year—the latest confirmation of a sea change disaster Popular Mechanics warned of earlier this fall.By measuring the shifting distance and speed between two Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites, scientists calculated the glaciers’ diminishing pull on Earth to discover that they were losing approximately 41 cubic miles each year....

It’s a good idea to start your snowblower before the first storm hits, so you know you are prepared to start clearing snow immediately. Here’s some great advice for starting a stubborn snowblower.Outdoor-power-equipment manufacturer Ariens Company of Brillion, Wis., receives about 8000 calls a month this time of year from customers who can’t start their machines. “The key to an easy start is putting the machine into storage properly,” says Ariens’s product support manager, Dave Miller....

There’s something strange at the south pole of Pluto. The New Horizons team isn’t ready to call them volcanoes, but they seem to be something awfully close to that. The two mountains reach 2 to 3 miles and 3.7 miles high, respectively, and are roughly round in shape with a sort of pit in the center of each. Called Wright Mons and Picard Mons, the latter mountain lives in a perpetual twilight on Pluto....

For performance car lovers, there is no substitute for driving a precision-tuned, high-horsepower vehicle. But a considerable amount of pleasure can be derived by simply being in the presence of greatness. In the run-up to this week’s New York International Auto Show (which opens to the public April 14th), there is no shortage of hoopla for the press. And that means lots of hoity-toity parties filled with hot cars, good food and drink, and beautiful people—who are no doubt paid to be there....

Titanfall is here—arguably this year’s most anticipated title for the Xbox One. The militaristic sci-fi epic is the first release from Respawn Entertainment, lead by former Infinity Ward head Vince Zampella. The game is an intense first person shooter set in the distant future. As is true of most dystopian titles, war is brewing between two factions: the Militia and the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (IMC). All pilots are trained with kung fu-like skills....

Media Platforms Design TeamIt may not be aerodynamic, but the Baker Electric is a perfectly viable zero-emissions car.All the current interest in hybrids and other vehicles with some sort of alternative powertrain is kind of amusing to me. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for pursuing other ways to power cars. (Click here to visit Jay’s Green Garage!) But I smile because I’ve owned three alternative energy cars for years....

Media Platforms Design TeamLast October, German graphic artist Dirk Loechel gave the world his incredible diagram showing the relative sizes of hundreds of spaceships, including those from Star Wars, Wall-E, Galaxy Quest, Halo, and many other TV shows, movies, and game franchises. Now his final, expanded version is ready to leave Spacedock.Loechel has posted what he says will be the final version, with small errors fixed and new ships added (including one real one, the International Space Station, for scale)....