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Blockchain Technology  NASA and other space agencies, such as the European Space Agency (ESA), are considering potential applications of blockchain technology to space missions and internal operations. According to a NASA presentation titled “ Bitcoin, Blockchains and Efficient Distributed Spacecraft Mission Control ,” blockchain technology could have useful applications in distributed spacecraft missions involving multiple elements. Artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technologies could be further integrated to make space-based sensor networks more efficient and responsive. In September 2017, NASA  awarded  a $333,000 grant to University of Akron (UA) Assistant Professor  Jin Wei  to research how to make space hardware smarter and more autonomous. The research program, titled “ RNCP: A Resilient Networking and Computing Paradigm for NASA Space Exploration ,” wants to improve the automation, environment awareness and intelligence of NASA space pr...

A recent study ( PDF ) from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance and blockchain analytics company Elliptic explored the “bitcoin laundering” ecosystem. In the study, Elliptic’s forensic analysis of the Bitcoin blockchain and other publicly available data were used to track the flows of illicit funds from 2013 to 2016. “This study aimed to identify where individuals turn in order to cash out or transmit bitcoins (BTC) acquired from illicit entities and to discover typologies for criminals ‘laundering’ bitcoins,” the report says. The study describes bitcoin laundering as a special type of money laundering that exists within the Bitcoin network where a user moves some bitcoins to a new address in a manner that obscures the original source of funds. The conversion of bitcoins into fiat currency on exchanges that lack adequate anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) policies can also fall under the category ...

Cryptocurrency  Tether, a cryptocurrency pegged 1-to-1 to the U.S. dollar, was allegedly hacked this week to the tune of $31 million. Tether functions to convert U.S. dollars to a type of cryptocurrency. The project’s token (USDT) is pegged to the dollar and is used in exchange trading. The idea behind Tether is that instead of having to sell your bitcoin or other token for a fiat currency, you can convert it to USDT, and either hold it in USDT or else transfer your USDT to another exchange and use it to purchase tokens there. As for the exchanges, USDT allows them to trade in something akin to dollars, without requiring them to have a bank account. Tether operates on the “Omni Layer Protocol,” which itself operates on top of the Bitcoin network, and uses Bitcoin addresses. According to a  blog post  on the project’s website, $31 million worth of USDT was sent to an unauthorized Bitcoin address on November 19, 2017. In the blog post, Tether also noted it released a ...