Any science fiction fan or Trekkie knows what tractor beams are -- those beams that pull objects toward the device that generates them, sort of like an invisible fishing line and reel. NASA believes enough in the possibility of creating real tractor beams that it's provided a $100,000 grant to researchers at its Goddard Space Flight Center to look into the phenomenon. The researchers, led by Paul Stysley, will study three experimental methods using laser light to collect samples for analysis.
(Attribution: CNET, ECTNews, TechCrunch)