Replacement Space Shuttle!

 It is on the way and much better than the last ones?

Lockheed is supposed to be building a new generation of far improved Shuttles, that will work along side existing technology and these machines may be part of the New Solar System fleet of craft, reaching Mars, Venus and further afield in the years to come!

Over coming gravity will be one plus for them, but the other is how do they deal with space dust and other materials hurtling by, that will rip the skins of these vessels, robot controlled or not?

The need to build and move cargo within our Solar System is not far away, as we expand out to the Moons of the giants and further afield, it will all look forward to some interesting times in the next fifty years of exploration!

Tunnel Boring!

 Machines that make tunnel under the Ground?

Ninety years ago these same machines were created for up to sixteen men to work within the rolling drum digging out the soil, rock, sand by hand and many were killed, either falling forward or back!

But today these boring machines are much bigger and longer, being automated, still crewed by with more safety at hand and they can with lasers work more accurately to also lay the framework of these tunnels with reinforced sections?

Eventually it is expected with A.I. that all types of machines with be robotic and serviced when out of operations, while all controls will come from a control room than the need for human intervention!

Currently the largest borers are building a underwater canal across China and other transport links, with motorways through mountain tunnels and bridges cutting time on land distant travel on winding roads and rail?