Mark Piesing
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Articles by Mark Piesing
Shield Space Develops Autonomous Cubesats for Satellite Defense Amid Rising Threats
In response to aggressive maneuvers by Russian military satellites, U.K. startup Shield Space is developing swarms of autonomous cubesats to protect Western satellites. These drones, which can be deployed at a fraction of the cost of traditional satellites, will utilize lasers and other technologies for defense. The company plans to demonstrate their capabilities in late 2027 with Project Broadsword, aiming to achieve significant advancements in orbital warfare.
The Teutonic Knights' Bloody Crusades—and Their Ultimate Downfall
This order of medieval warrior monks conquered some of Europe's last pagan lands before suffering a devastating defeat. 'Death and the Teutonic Knight,' watercolor from the 'Dance of Death' cycle by Albrecht Kauw, illustration by Niklaus Manuel, 1649.
Space ambush
Can the UK defend itself from a space ambush? MARK PIESING reports from the UK Space Power Conference. On the opening morning of the UK Space Power Conference 2026, held in London on 23–24 September, the UK Ministry of Defence revealed the existence of No. III Space Effects Squadron, describing it as the UK’s first unit dedicated to ‘disrupt, degrade, and deny hostile threats in space’.
Madness, mutiny and murder in the Canadian Arctic
Empire at the Edge of the World: Endurance and Madness in the High Arctic John Murray, pp.384, 25 The elegant, charismatic and narcissistic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson wasn’t the average adventurer that Alaska attracted in 1912. When he arrived in Seattle from the Gold Rush port of Nome, he told journalists that he had discovered ‘a lost tribe of whites’ in the uncharted High Arctic.
Why Are Astronauts Making Daring Flights Through the Mountains?
Flying helicopters on Earth is a strong foundation for landing spacecraft on the moon. Neil Armstrong was only 500 feet above the moon’s surface when he realized that he had a problem: the landing site, which had been selected by his onboard computer, was strewn with large boulders. With minutes to spare, he switched to semi-automatic control of the Eagle lunar lander, tilted the craft slightly forward, and coasted over the rocks to identify, by eye, a safe place to touch down.
Satellite killers: What a war in space might look like
By Mark Piesing31st July 2026 The satellites that orbit Earth have remained largely untouched in modern conflict. But in the 21st Century, space may no longer be a safe haven. A Around 03:00 on 24 February 2022, thousands of satellite modems across Ukraine and Central Europe went offline. A few hours later, Russia's invasion of Ukraine began.
Satellite killers: What a war in space might look like
Getty Images The satellites that orbit Earth have remained largely untouched in modern conflict. But in the 21st Century, space may no longer be a safe haven. Around 03:00 on 24 February 2022, thousands of satellite modems across Ukraine and Central Europe went offline. A few hours later, Russia's invasion of Ukraine began.
The West has become its own worst enemy
Bytes and Bullets: Global Rivalries, Private Tech and the Future of Modern Warfare Monoray, pp.400, 25 On 27 January 2024, Iranian-backed militants launched a one-way attack drone at the US base known as Tower 22 in the Syria-Iraq borderlands. It hit and killed three American soldiers and injured many other members of the 350-strong garrison. The attack was a pivotal moment. Before it, no US ground troops had been killed by an enemy aircraft since the Korean War.
How the WWII Burma Campaign Helped Turn the Tide Against Japan
Why Burma Was Strategically Important In 1944, the Allies saw victory in Burma as essential to the wider war against Japan. Getting supplies flowing again to China would help keep their forces in the fight, tying down a large part of Japan’s army. Additionally, it would support American plans to use Chinese bases for B-29 bombing raids against Japan. Burma was also the gateway to British India, the crown jewel of the British Empire.
The aircraft carrier which shows the deep flaw in Britain’s navy
The 400-mile-wide stretch of water between the Svalbard archipelago and the mainland of northern Norway has a nickname: Bear Gap. It is the only way out for Russia’s Northern Fleet warships and submarines from its bases around Murmansk to the deep waters of the Atlantic ocean.
Qué son las "zonas muertas" que amenazan el mar Báltico, el área de agua salobre más grande del mundo Original
Fuente de la imagen, Getty Images Pie de foto, Los países bálticos temen un mayor riesgo de derrames de petróleo por parte de la "flota fantasma" de petroleros de Rusia. Información del artículo Autor, Mark Piesing Título del autor, BBC Future Fecha de publicación 17 minutos Tiempo de lectura: 11 min Bornholm es una isla remota y estratégicamente situada en el altamente contaminado mar Báltico.
The hidden dead zones spreading across the Baltic Sea floor
2 hours ago Mark Piesing Getty Images Bornholm is a strategically located, remote island in the heavily polluted Baltic Sea. Now the windswept Danish island finds itself at the centre of an environmental and geopolitical crisis. The tourist season on Bornholm is short. When I step off the bus the large harbour is empty except for a handful of yachts and a detachment of Danish soldiers.
25 People Who Changed the Course of World War II
World leaders. Generals. Industrialists. Strategists. Spies. See who had an outsized impact on the fate of the world. Corbis via Getty Images Published: May 11, 2026Last Updated: May 11, 2026 More than 100 million men and women mobilized. Some 70 million killed. World War II was history’s deadliest war, fought on a scale previously unimaginable.
Why World War II Was History’s Deadliest War
Genocide and atomic warfare only tell part of the story. Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Published: May 07, 2026Last Updated: May 07, 2026 Ask historians which war, in all of history, killed the most people, and the answer is clear. World War I, once called “the war to end all wars,” killed roughly 20 million soldiers and civilians. But the conflict that followed just two decades later was far deadlier.
The New Age of Tiny Airships
The smallest blimps can do the jobs that conventional drones can’t. Two silver radio-controlled blimps race around a figure-eight course inside a hangar in southwest Germany. Held annually in the city of Friedrichshafen—the birthplace of the Zeppelin—the Airship Regatta attracts competitors from around the world, all eager to showcase their technical prowess in designing and piloting small, helium-filled blimps. Friedrichshafen is also a place to do business.
Are we prepared for a British Pearl Harbor?
Barbarossa. Pearl Harbor. Swindon? Surprise attacks can, in a moment, change the course of history, the destiny of a nation and the future of a leader. After it was revealed this weekend that the Iranians have developed missiles capable of reaching the United Kingdom – and reportedly attempted to hit the UK-US military base on the Chagos islands – we should be more worried than ever about the possibility of a British Pearl Harbor style attack.
Who will rule the Arctic?
Polar War: Submarines, Spies and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic Profile, pp.320, 22 In 2007, two Russian submersibles descended from the ice at the North Pole to plant a small Russian flag on the sea floor more than two miles down. While the aquanauts were greeted as heroes in Russia, the reaction of other Arctic nations was somewhat less positive. ‘This isn’t the 15th century,’ complained the Canadian foreign minister.
The New Age of Tiny Airships
The smallest blimps can do the jobs that conventional drones can’t. Two silver radio-controlled blimps race around a figure-eight course inside a hangar in southwest Germany. Held annually in the city of Friedrichshafen—the birthplace of the Zeppelin—the Airship Regatta attracts competitors from around the world, all eager to showcase their technical prowess in designing and piloting small, helium-filled blimps. Friedrichshafen is also a place to do business.
Did Robert McNamara know Vietnam was unwinnable?
Former US defense secretary Robert McNamara was known in Washington as a relentless, humorless taskmaster or even “a computer on legs.” Then on February 9, 1962, a little over a year after taking office, McNamara made headlines when he danced the twist with Jackie Kennedy at a White House party. A few days later, the then-first lady sent by hand to McNamara a lighthearted Valentine collage she had made from the news coverage of their dance.
Blended wings: The sci-fi aircraft concept that could appear at an airport near you Original
Blended wings: The sci-fi aircraft concept that could appear at an airport near you Outbound The concept of blended-wing aircraft – where fuselage and wing are all one structure – is not new. But this radical design might soon be a credible concept for airliners. In March 2025, a small V-shaped remote-controlled aircraft took off for the first time from the Pendleton UAS Range in eastern Oregon.
How William the Conqueror Won the Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings: High Stakes, High Risk In 1051, William’s cousin King Edward the Confessor allegedly promised to make William his heir. But when Edward died in January 1066, Harold Godwinson, one of England’s most powerful aristocrats, seized the British crown. William disputed the claim and prepared to invade England. Conquering England in a single, decisive battle was a monumental gamble.
Déjà drones
Eighty years after the US military first used drones in the Pacific, the idea is back on the table for any future operations in the South China Sea. MARK PIESING asks what lessons can be learned from the past. According to US intelligence, President Xi Jinping has called on China’s People’s Liberation Army to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027.
A empresa que quer construir o maior avião do mundo
O WindRunner já está sendo chamado de maior aeronave do mundo, antes mesmo de ser construído. Mas esse gigante não está sendo fabricado pela Airbus, Boeing ou Lockheed. Ele está sendo produzido por uma empresa que nunca construiu um avião antes. O empreendedor em série e engenheiro aeroespacial Mark Lundstrom fundou a Radia em 2016 para expandir o tamanho da indústria de energia eólica onshore depois de ter um "momento eureka".
A empresa que quer construir o maior avião do mundo
O WindRunner já está sendo chamado de maior aeronave do mundo, antes mesmo de ser construído. Mas esse gigante não está sendo fabricado pela Airbus, Boeing ou Lockheed. Ele está sendo produzido por uma empresa que nunca construiu um avião antes. O empreendedor em série e engenheiro aeroespacial Mark Lundstrom fundou a Radia em 2016 para expandir o tamanho da indústria de energia eólica onshore depois de ter um "momento eureka".
The upstart company that wants to build the world's largest aircraft
The upstart company that wants to build the world's largest aircraft Radia The WindRunner is an ambitious aircraft project that could make it easier to use larger wind turbines. The company behind it, however, has never built a plane before. The WindRunner is already being called the largest aircraft in the world, before it has even been built. But this leviathan is not being made by Airbus, Boeing or Lockheed. It is being made by a company that has never built an aircraft before.
The upstart company that wants to build the world's largest aircraft
New iOS 18.6 Update Is Out: Change These 10 Essential Settings Now Customize your iOS 18 settings to make the most of your everyday iPhone experience. In what may be the final big iOS update before iOS 26 arrives in the fall (for which you can install the public beta now), Apple has released iOS 18.6 with important bug fixes and security updates. Any new version …
7 Brilliant Acts of Psychological Warfare in History
Military strategists have long used 'psyops' that weaponize fear, confusion and deception to outwit the enemy. Alamy Stock Photo Published: July 23, 2025 Last Updated: July 23, 2025 Long before the term “psychological operations”—or “psyops”—entered modern military jargon, the art of manipulating perception to influence enemy behavior has shaped the course of history.
How the Korean War Changed Aerial Dogfighting
Split-Second Decisions at 700 mph In many other ways, the dogfighting in MiG Alley marked a sharp departure from World War II. The jets flew significantly faster (approaching 700 mph) and operated at higher altitudes with superior climb rates. “The dogfights in MiG Alley were fought from the deck [ground] up to 50,000 feet, which was nearly twice the [altitude] range as during World War II,” explains Napier.
How Drones Have Upended Warfare
Since World War I, unmanned aircraft have evolved to serve a variety of military uses—from gunnery training to stealth surveillance to targeted assassinations. Jeffrey Markowitz/Sygma via Getty Images Published: June 09, 2025 Last Updated: June 09, 2025 When were drones invented—and how did they evolve to become aerial surveillance tools and weapons of war?
U.K. Publishing in 2025: Harnessing the Power of AI
Artificial intelligence continues to insinuate itself into various aspects of publishing worldwide, and the scale and speed at which the technology is evolving can be daunting even to experts. The sea change has some in the U.K. publishing scene looking at U.S. domination of the AI market and worried about falling behind.
Remembering Hiroshima 80 years on
The Hiroshima Men: The Quest to Build the Atomic Bomb and the Fateful Decision to Use It Constable, pp.448, 25 In October 1945, towns and cities across the United States celebrated ‘A Tribute to Victory Day’ in celebration of the United States’s military victory over Nazi Germany and imperial Japan. The biggest event was held in Los Angeles and broadcast live across the country.
Los arqueólogos espaciales que trabajan para salvar nuestra historia cósmica
El espacio se está comercializando a una escala nunca vista. Enfrentados a poderosas fuerzas comerciales y políticas y con escasa protección legal, los artefactos que cuentan la historia del viaje de nuestra especie al espacio corren peligro de perderse, tanto en órbita como aquí en la Tierra.
The 'space archaeologists' hoping to save our cosmic history
The infrastructure of humanity's journey into space may only be decades old, but some of it has already been lost. A new generation of "space archaeologists" are scrambling to save what's left. Space is being commercialised on a scale unseen before. Faced by powerful commercial and political forces and with scant legal protections, artefacts that tell the story of our species' journey into space are in danger of being lost – both in orbit and down here on Earth.
The 'space archaeologists' hoping to save our cosmic history
The 'space archaeologists' hoping to save our cosmic history Alamy The infrastructure of humanity's journey into space may only be decades old, but some of it has already been lost. A new generation of "space archaeologists" are scrambling to save what's left. Space is being commercialised on a scale unseen before.
How Active Volcanoes Can Put Airplanes in Danger
A global early-warning system strives to keep aircraft safe from volcanic eruptions. At the start of a scheduled flight from London to Auckland, New Zealand, British Airways Flight 009 thundered down the runway at London Heathrow. The takeoff, which occurred in the early evening on June 23, 1982, was uneventful. A few hours later, however, passenger Charles Capewell was writing a farewell note: “Ma In Trouble Plane going down will do best for the boys.
Why Norway is restoring its Cold War military bunkers Original
Norwegian Armed Forces Bunkers like the ones at Bardufoss can keep expensive fighter planes safe from attacks by drones (Credit: Norwegian Armed Forces) Norway's proximity to the USSR during the Cold War led to it building many military bunkers – some of them vast secret bases for planes and ships. Tensions with Russia have brought the bunkers back into focus. Tourists in their hundreds of thousands visit northern Norway each year. But there is a secret world they never see.
Pathfinder 1: The airship that could usher in a new age Original
Pathfinder 1: The airship that could usher in a new age LTA Research Pathfinder 1, bankrolled by a Google billionaire, is an attempt to revive the airship. A century after terrifying disasters, is a safe-enough bet?
Pathfinder 1: The airship that could usher in a new age
Which mammal holds its breath the longest? Meet the extreme deep-sea diver that can hold its breath for almost 4 hours The average human can hold their breath for between 30 to 90 seconds – but what mammal holds its breath for the longest, and for how long? While …
Sunil Amrith's The Burning Earth bristles with indignation
“Walking by the banks of the Chao Praya on a breezy evening after a day of intense heat,” writes Sunil Amrith at the start of his melancholic new book, “I struggled to connect the scene before me.” While the river that flows through Bangkok looked idyllic, “crowded with noisy pleasure boats festooned with lights,” Amrith was struck by the realization that half of the city “could be underwater by the end of this century.” This thought was the latest stage in a process that he says has taken...
Cómo se construyen los "sarcófagos" subterráneos para aislar peligrosos residuos nucleares
Es un día frío de inicios del verano boreal. Pero a 450 metros bajo las onduladas colinas de la región de Champaña, en el noreste de Francia, hace mucho más calor. Las luces fluorescentes de esta instalación son brillantes y el aire es seco. Puedo saborear el polvo de la atmósfera. Las pesadas mascarillas de emergencia que tengo que llevar conmigo me recuerdan los peligros a los que podría enfrentarme a esa profundidad.
Mark Piesing
US EDITION OF THE WORLD’S OLDEST MAGAZINE
The powerful, brutal story of Polish resistance fighter Elżbieta Zawacka
In May 1942, Agent Zo was in the home stretch after a long and risky mission that had placed her in Berlin, at the heart of Nazi Germany. As usual, she picked up a small stone and threw it at the second-floor window of her sister’s apartment in a grimy industrial city in occupied Poland, south of Warsaw. But no one in the flat turned on a light, the agreed signal. She threw another. Nothing happened.
How to build a nuclear tomb to last millennia
How to build a nuclear tomb to last millennia Tapani Karjanlahti/ TVO Nuclear waste remains toxic for thousands of years. How do you build a storage facility that will keep it safely buried for millennia? It is a chilly day early in the summer. But 1,500ft (450m) beneath the rolling hills of the Champagne region in northeastern France, it feels much warmer. This facility's fluorescent lights are bright, and the air is dry. I can taste the dust in the atmosphere.
The Secret History of Drones
Pilotless aircraft have been around longer than you might think. In 1898, newspapers heralded the dawn of a new age with the invention of a device that would “render fleets and guns useless.” Physical distance was said to “have no effect on its magic results,” which could be controlled “with the touch of a switchboard key.” On top of that, the device didn’t cost much.
Giles Milton retells the story of the Grand Alliance as a cinematic thriller
On June 22, 1941, the German army invaded the Soviet Union. Over the next four months, the Wehrmacht blasted through the Soviet defenses, taking millions prisoner and destroying thousands of tanks. By early December, German scouts were purportedly within site of the Kremlin. Even though the Wehrmacht was forced back from the gates of Moscow by the Red Army, the renewed German offensive in spring 1942 threatened to deliver the coup de grâce to the Soviet Union.
The satellites using radar to peer at earth in minute detail
The satellites using radar to peer at earth in minute detail Getty Images Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) allows satellites to bounce radar signals off the ground and interpret the echo – and it can even peer through clouds. Clouds cover around two-thirds of the world at any one time, preventing conventional satellites from seeing much of the planet.
A skillful retelling of one of World War Two’s most dramatic stories
Around lunchtime on a late September day in 1944, a young woman stepped into one of the most fashionable cafés on the Champs-Élysées. Her eyes still scanned the room for threats, even though her war had been over for many months. Known variously as Suzanne, Madeleine, Blanche, Ginnette or Tony, she had “amassed names and personas just as other women of her years and beauty amassed admirers. And she had amassed those too” in the service of her country.
O plano secreto que a pacífica Suécia tinha para construir uma bomba atômica
A Suécia não entra em guerra desde 1814. Mas durante mais de 20 anos após o fim da Segunda Guerra Mundial, este país do norte da Europa, que antes era neutro, teve um plano para equipar as suas forças armadas com a arma mais potente: a bomba atômica. O governo finalmente encerrou o seu programa em 1968, após um longo debate público.
O plano secreto que a pacífica Suécia tinha para construir uma bomba atômica
A Suécia não entra em guerra desde 1814. Mas durante mais de 20 anos após o fim da Segunda Guerra Mundial, este país do norte da Europa, que antes era neutro, teve um plano para equipar as suas forças armadas com a arma mais potente: a bomba atômica. O governo finalmente encerrou o seu programa em …
El plan secreto que tuvo la pacífica Suecia para construir una bomba atómica
Suecia no ha peleado una guerra desde 1814. Pero durante más de 20 años después del final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, este otrora neutral país del norte de Europa llevó adelante un plan para equipar a su ejército con el arma máxima, la bomba atómica. El gobierno finalmente clausuró el programa en 1968, después de un largo debate público.
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