2024-05-02T04:18:02-04:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/135669066/real-life-tractor-beam-nasa-teams-with-arx-pax-to-create-micro-satellite-capture-devices Julia Ingalls 2015-09-02T08:00:00-04:00 >2018-01-30T06:16:04-05:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/og/og326llot7j32oq4.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><p><a href="http://archinect.com/features/article/112809997/working-out-of-the-box-greg-henderson-of-hendo-hoverboards" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Architect-founded technology firm Arx Pax</a>, who brought you the <a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/112427946/a-chat-with-the-architect-who-invented-the-hoverboard-episode-4-of-archinect-sessions-out-now" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hendo Hoverboard</a>,&nbsp;and <a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/133181511/archinect-s-dry-futures-competition-featured-by-msnbc-juror-and-nasa-hydrologist-jay-famiglietti-interviewed" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NASA</a>, who recently brought you photos of Pluto, announced today that they've teamed up in a Space Act Agreement to create micro-satellite capture devices that create magnetic tethers between satellites.</p><p><img title="" alt="" src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/514x/ql/qljul3sl3pr5qye8.jpg"></p><p>The technology, which is based on Arx Pax's patented electromagnetic energy transmitting Magnetic Field Architecture (MFA), would allow the proposed devices to manipulate and couple satellites from a distance. This effect could be roughly compared to the "tractor beam" used on the TV show "<a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/16635320/1-5-billion-star-trek-theme-park-announced-for-jordan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Star Trek</a>" (except for small satellites only, and with a much simpler initiator than the NCC 1701).</p><p><img title="" alt="" src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/514x/mc/mcs4ow4ncuc9isut.jpg"></p><p>Arx Pax and NASA are keen to design a device that can attract one object to another remotely, which would allow the initiator to keep an object in its field stationary: once engaged in the device's field, the satellite would be unable to either move from or toward the device. According to Arx Pax, this "will enable the...</p>