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News

7 March 2022:

Sitnews logoSitNews announces new project, Our Submerged Past, in partnership with the Sealaska Heritage Institute and funded by NOAA. With the help of our SUNFISH® AUV, the goal is to seek evidence of early human occupation in submerged caves in Southeast Alaska.

May 2021:

Watch a short documentary from the 2019 Dragon’s Breath Expedition, where our team of engineers partnered up with technical divers to bring the SUNFISH® AUV to explore deep Namibian caves beyond the range of human divers.

Dragon's Breath Expedition 2019

 

May 2021:

Vickie Siegel’s article on the Sunfish Dragon’s Breath expedition appeared in the 100th anniversary Spring issue of the The Explorers Journal. The publication coincides with the 40th anniversary of women first joining The Explorers Club as well as the International Year of Caves and Karst.

Title page of Kalahari Explorers Journal article
December 2020:

Harasib profileBill Stone gave a presentation at the virtual 2020 AGU Fall Meeting.

11 September 2020:

Bill Stone AAM SlideBill Stone gave a presentation at the 2020 virtual Astrobiology Australasia Meeting.

Frontier Space Podcast logoBill Stone joined Kolemann Lutz on his podcast Frontier Space, to discuss the technologies being investigated to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa.
26 August 2020:

Discovering the Story Podcast logoBill Stone joined Stefan Oland on his podcast Discovering the Story, where they talked space exploration, ocean worlds, the SUNFISH® AUV, and more.

17 August 2020:

Schmidt Marine logoStone Aerospace spin-off company SUNFISH Inc will be working with Schmidt Marine Technology Partners to improve the SUNFISH® AUV’s exploration abilities, changing the way we operate in some of the planet’s least hospitable environments.

July 2020:

SUNFISH AUV with Namibian expedition teamStone Aerospace spin-off company SUNFISH Inc was featured in the July 2020 issue of Marine Technology Reporter.

SUNFISH AUV with divers at Peacock Springs FloridaAustin Monthly interviewed Bill Stone for their July 2020 issue, and discussed our beginnings as well as what the future holds.
3 June 2020:

Real Risk logoBill Stone joined cave diver Richard Harris on his podcast Real Risk. Listen to their discussion here, or look for Episode 3, “Stone Under Earth and Water”, wherever you listen to podcasts.

14 April 2020:

Our SUNFISH® AUV made the April cover of Marine Technology Reporter. View the entire April issue virtually, or head straight to the online version of their write up.

Cover of Marine Technology Reporter featuring SUNFISH® AUV
9 March 2020:

Bill Stone shows off SUNFISH AUV in Austin labThe Austin American-Statesman visited our Austin lab and talked to us about various projects past, present, and future.

3 February 2020:

Discover Magazine covered our SUNFISH team’s expedition to Namibia, lead by Stone Aerospace Field Ops Manager Vickie Siegel. Our SUNFISH® AUV returned with complete 3D maps of three dive sites in the Kalahari Desert, exceeding prior human exploration.

SUNFISH® AUV exploring Dragon's Breath Cave in Namibia
14 January 2020:

Schmidt Foundation SMTP awardeesMaritime Logistics Professional did a write up on the Schmidt Family Foundation’s SMTP technology showcase. Bill Stone presented at the showcase in October, highlighting the accomplishments of our SUNFISH® AUV and the future of commercial underwater exploration.


4 November 2019:

Europa Workshop participantsMany leading Ocean Worlds scientists and engineers came together at the Stone Aerospace headquarters to brainstorm ideas for a potential Europa-analog field observatory in a polar field site on Earth.

1 August 2019:

Revolutionary Robots in Space Book CoverStone Aerospace’s ARTEMIS and VALKYRIE projects are featured in the new children’s book, Revolutionary Robots in Space. Preview the book on Google Books here, or you can purchase the book at Amazon here.

8 July 2019:

National Geographic aired an update to “Explorer: Journey to an Alien Moon”, which included new footage of our SUNFISH® vehicle as well as our ARCHIMEDES project.

Bill Stone is interviewed by National Geographic TV
5 July 2019:

View of Jupiter from Europa's surface from Wired news itemStone Aerospace’s ARCHIMEDES project made the news in this article in Wired Magazine that discusses NASA’s plans to visit Europa.

1 March 2019:

Astronomy Magazine logoThis article from Astronomy Magazine, discussing a number of Stone Aerospace projects, is featured in the March print edition of Discover Magazine.


14 November 2018:

Jupiter's Moon Europa from Universe Today news articleUniverse Today covered ARCHIMEDES‘s research into melting through Europa’s crust.

13 November 2018:

NASA logoNASA did a write-up on the technology behind Stone Aerospace’s ARCHIMEDES project.

6 September 2018:

Sunfish vehicle depicted in Lift the Flap Engineering children's bookStone Aerospace’s Sunfish® robot was featured in the children’s book, Lift the Flap Engineering. View or purchase the book from the publisher, Usborne Publishing (UK), or from Amazon.

5 September 2018:

Astronomy Magazine logoAn article in Astronomy Magazine discussed a number of Stone Aerospace projects.

9 May 2018:

Stone Aerospace’s SUNFISH® vehicle was featured in the PBS series NOVA Wonders during the first episode, “Are We Alone?”. The full episode is now available online.

Spring 2018:

Sunfish vehicle at Peacock Springs - photo by Jill HeinerthAlert Diver Magazine covered Stone Aerospace’s Sunfish® vehicle‘s exploration of Florida’s Wes Skiles Peacock Springs. See a 3D map of the Sunfish exploration of Peacock Springs.


9 December 2017:

Sunfish vehicle exploring Peacock Springs in FloridaAll About Circuits wrote a piece covering various Stone Aerospace projects, including the Sunfish® vehicle’s recent exploration of Peacock Springs in Florida.

10 May 2017:

Image of Artemis exploring under the McMurdo Ice Shelf from Vice news storyBoth VALKYRIE and ARTEMIS robots were featured in Vice’s Motherboard story covering the search for extraterrestrial life.


9 December 2016:

Stone Aerospace is featured on one of the first episodes of The Weather Channel’s and Great Big Story’s series, That’s Amazing.

SUNFISH testing in Peacock Springs Florida
15 July 2016:

Artemis vehicle in the 'bothouse' in AntarcticaThe Stone Aerospace ARTEMIS vehicle and our work in Antarctica are highlighted in articles on The Antarctic Sun: A robotic rehearsal for interplanetary exploration and Voactiv: NASA prepares for interplanetary exploration with an underwater drone.

7 March 2016:

Rendering of SPINDLE robotResearchers secure NASA funding for robotic search for life beneath Antarctica.


21 August 2015:

Rendering of Artemis vehicleAntarctic field deployment of the SIMPLE project begins, featuring ARTEMIS AUV

24 July 2015:

Rendering of possible future AUV deployed to EuropaStone Aerospace’s Europa technology development projects featured in Popular Mechanics

11 July 2015:

VOX logoBill Stone participated in a Voices from Oxford conference and webcast on the Search for Extraterrestrial Life – Europa and Enceladus. Watch the video here.

16 June 2015:

Popular Science logoPopular Science discusses the VALKYRIE project in this article about the search for life on Europa

13 June 2015:

Moon EuropaSpace.com featured VALKYRIE in this article about the future of Europa exploration

12 June 2015:

Matanuska Glacier - photo by Kamal SinghSecond VALKYRIE field season on the Matanuska Glacier is underway

11 June 2015:

Moon EuropaVALKYRIE cryobot featured in Astrobiology Magazine

22 January 2015:

Wired logoStone Aerospace’s VALKYRIE cryobot mentioned in Wired article on ice-penetrator history


28 December 2014:

Wired logoRole of ARTEMIS in NASA-funded SIMPLE project described in SpaceRef article

25 July 2014:

Cut-away drawing of the inside of the Valkyrie probeGeek.com published an article about Valkyrie’s field testing in Alaska.

23 July 2014:

Cut-away drawing of the inside of the Valkyrie probeThe VALKYRIE project and its 2014 field season featured in New Scientist article, which included video coverage.

7 June 2014:

The Economist wrote a profile of Bill Stone, and covers Stone Aerospace’s efforts to discover extraterrestrial life on Europa. Read via PDF or on Economist.com (with subscription).

Economist graphic
1 June 2014:

Seti Institute logoVickie Siegel interviewed about VALKYRIE on Big Picture Science radio show and podcast

2 May 2014:

Rendering of the surface of EuropaScience News describes Stone Aerospace’s work towards developing an ice-penetrating robot for Europa exploration


8 March 2013:

Scott Polar Research Institute logoStone Aerospace project photos included in the Frozen Worlds exhibit, at the Polar Museum of the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge.

28 February 2013:

J2 sump4 - photo: US Deep Caving TeamStone Aerospace sponsors the J2 2013 Expedition, an effort to further explore and map a cave in southern Mexico


24 May 2012:

Poseidon Diving Systems logoBill Stone featured in video promoting the new Poseidon technical diving rebreather, the first “dive by wire” closed-cycle life-support system

2 May 2012:

Bill StoneBill Stone interviewed with Wired Magazine to discuss the ways SpaceX’s historic launch will impact NASA and mankind’s presence in space.

20 April 2012:

Bill Stone discusses the newly-released details of the VALKYRIE cryobot in this article in Wired Magazine

Valkyrie graphic from Wired article
20 May 2011:

Europa moonTime magazine discussed the details of VALKYRIE in this article.

19 April 2012:

Valkyrie project logoStone Aerospace reveals Project VALKYRIE details.


19 May 2011:

Cutaway rendering of the Valkyrie probeStone Aerospace wins Phase 2 funding for Project VALKYRIE.

17 January 2011:

Shackleton Energy Company logoBill Stone and Shackleton Energy mentioned in this Space.com article on lunar bases.

13 January 2011:

Chandrayaan-1 minerology map of the moon from Space news itemBill Stone interviewed by Space.com regarding Shackleton Energy’s plan to mine water on the moon.


22 October 2010:

Lunar surfaceStone Aerospace mentioned in this Washington Post article about recent findings of NASA’s LCROSS mission.

19 April 2010:

Lunar surfaceBill Stone and Shackleton Energy Company featured in May 2010 Discover Magazine cover story (PDF).

9 April 2010:

Image of ENDURANCE robot surfacing near Taylor Glacier in Antarctica from NBC NewsENDURANCE second Antarctic field season featured in this article on NBC News

24 March 2010:

Depiction of view of Jupiter from moon EuropaENDURANCE featured on National Geographic’s Explorer Series


6 October 2009:

Endurance project logoENDURANCE AUV Begins Second Season in Antarctica

6 June 2009:

IEEE Spectrum logoIEEE publishes article Mining the Moon, written by Dr. Bill Stone

5 June 2009:

NASA logoNASA Approves Upgrade Funding for Endurance 2009 Antarctic Field Season

22 May 2009:

Photo of ENDURANCE robot in the bot house at Lake Bonney from Antarctic Sun news articleFirst Antarctic field season of ENDURANCE featured in Antarctic Sun, newsletter of the U. S. Antarctic Program


26 November 2008:

Endurance arrives at Lake BonneyENDURANCE AUV Begins Antarctica Mission at Lake Bonney, Taylor Valley, Antarctica

1 July 2008:

Stone Aerospace logoENDURANCE AUV passes U.S. government deployment readiness review – Off to Antarctica

21 June 2008:

ENDURANCE AUV tested at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL)/Space Act Agreement

ENDURANCE testing at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab at Johnson Space Center
3 March 2008:

Poseidon Diving Systems logoStone Aerospace commercializes new underwater rebreather for Poseidon Systems in Sweden.

1 March 2008:

Endurance project logoEndurance Website up and running at University of Illinois at Chicago (see logo)

29 February 2008:

Photo of Endurance robot testing at Lake Mendota from Time news itemTime Magazine article describes Ice Diver (ENDURANCE Antarctica Preparation).

20 February 2008:

Nell Greenfieldboyce interviews ENDURANCEENDURANCE field testing in Lake Mendota featured on National Public Radio.

14 February 2008:

Scientific American logoScientific American Magazine article cites recent Endurance tests in Wisconsin.

13 February 2008:

Endurance AUV Ice Mission Cited in Madison Capitol Times.

11 February 2008:

Image of DEPTHX exploring cenote in Mexico from Wired news storyEndurance Lake Mendota tests featured in Wired Magazine.

11 February 2008:

Endurance AUV deployment to Lake Mendota (Madison, Wisconsin) is covered in article on The Engineer website (UK).


30 November 2007:

AUVSI logoAUVSI publishes significant article on Stone Aerospace projects in Unmanned Systems magazine: “Visionary Counting on Unmanned Vehicles” by Richard Tuttle; Volume 25, No. 6, Nov/Dec 2007, pgs 25-27 (correction).

20 November 2007:

NSF logoStone Aerospace offered opportunity by the NSF to house Endurance AUV in NASA-sponsored inflatable habitat in Antarctica.

1 September 2007:

IEEE article “Swimming to Europa” by Jean Kumagai cites DEPTHX accomplishments in Mexico.

Photo of Bill Stone in front of DEPTHX vehicle from IEEE news coverage
5 June 2007:

Stone Aerospace logoAntarctic underground lakes to be studied

31 May 2007:

NASA logoNASA Press Release: NASA Robot Completes Test Drive of Exploration Capabilities

15 May 2007:

Washington Post logoDEPTHX Project was the subject of a web chat hosted by Ceci Connolly of the Washington Post. Science: NASA’s New Robot

14 May 2007:

DEPTHX vehicle gets lowered in Mexican cenoteMexican Sinkhole May Lead NASA to Jupiter (Washington Post)

3 May 2007:

NASA logoENDURANCE Project approved by NASA.

2 May 2007:

Stone Aerospace logoDEPTHX being readied for final expedition to the world’s deepest water-filled cavern, El Zacatón Cenote

1 May 2007:

ZDNet logoSpace Daily covers approval of the ENDURANCE project.

22 April 2007:

Lake Bonney and Taylor Glacier in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica Space Daily covers approval of ENDURANCE project: Antarctic Lake Robot Probe Sets Sights on Outer Space

19 March 2007:

Cenote Zacatón from aboveThe University of Texas featured the DEPTHX test series in their current newsletter.

16 March 2007:

Stone Aerospace logoDEPTHX successfully completes second test mission in Mexico — Zacaton next

14 March 2007:

Shackleton Crater on the lunar surfaceSpace.com interviews Bill Stone regarding lunar program.

13 March 2007:

Shackleton Energy logoStone Aerospace issues press release on Shackleton Energy Company for LEO refueling stations.

10 March 2007:

Stone invited to speak at TED2007. Watch the talk here or on the TED website, or visit Bill’s TED bio page.

A quote from Bill’s talk was highlighted in the TED blog’s Day Four Wrap-Up.

7 March 2007:

DEPTHX vehicle in test tankDEPTHX covered in an article on space.com.

Stone Aerospace logoDEPTHX team returns to Mexico for second round of checkout dives.
2 March 2007:

Team working on DEPTHX in MexicoAndrés Eloy Martínez Rojas produced this video (en Español) about the DEPTHX project.

1 March 2007:

DEPTHX vehicle taking underwater samples in Mexican cenote from Popular Science news itemPopular Science wrote a profile covering the first DEPTHX mission to Mexico.

DEPTHX vehicle in Mexican cenoteCarnegie Mellon University press release: NASA’s robotic sub readies for dive into earth’s deepest sinkhole.
Scuba diver image from SpaceRef news articleDeep/Underwater cave environments: comments by Bill Stone at the First NASA Risk and Exploration Symposium.
CBC logoCBC NEWS tracks DEPTHX progress in Mexico.
28 Feb 2007:

MSNBC chronicles DEPTHX progress in Mexico cavern exploration.


February 2004:

National Geographic highlights Stone’s Mexican expedition in preparation for an assault on the Moon.

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