Retired NASA astronaut Fred Haise, of famous failed lunar mission, Apollo 13, gives a guided tour though the Houston Space Centre, Texas

Almost exactly two years after announcing its plans to deliver packages with a drone, Amazon revealed a new prototype of one of its delivery drones. Amazon's prototype is an octocopter - meaning it has eight propellers and can take off and land vertically, like a helicopter. But the design also includes wings and a "pusher motor" so that it can transition from helicopter takeoffs to the energy-efficient flight of a plane at altitude. A pure octocopter wouldn't be capable of a range of 15 miles, like this prototype. Source: Amazon/YouTube

Big advances in battery technology for solar power mean Kiwis will soon have the opportunity to leave the electricity grid.

There are fears an 'unsurveillable' app has been adopted by Islamic State as its preferred platform for messaging.

It's the ultimate tool for the very laziest of armchair travellers of New Zealand - a 3D-view of some of the country's most famous tramping tracks. Over four years, imagery was collected using Street View Trekker, a wearable backpack outfitted with 360 degree cameras designed for locations accessible only by foot. Source: Supplied

The Ubco 22 electric farm bike will be in production by Christmas with initial marketing aimed at New Zealand and Australia. Strong international interest means the company will bring forward plans to sell into North America, said Timothy Allan, managing director of Tauranga's Locus Research. Locus is a co-investor in Ubco and works closely with the bike's developers Anthony Clyde, based near Whakatane, and Daryl Neal from Wellington. Source: UBCO

How an industry of 'Amazon entrepreneurs' pulled off the Internet's craftiest 'catfishing' scheme.

Huawei unveiled the Mate30 overnight in Munich. Video / Huawei Mobile

New Zealand triathlete, Sam Durrant, compiles GPS information on safe routes for cyclists to take to avoid traffic, and to track personal progress.

Facebook says it will begin test flights later this year of a solar-powered drone with the wingspan of a Boeing 737, the next stage of its campaign to deliver Internet service to remote parts of the world. Engineers at the giant social network say they've built a drone with a 140-foot wingspan that weighs less than 1,000 pounds. It will use lasers to send Internet signals to stations on the ground. Source: Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook

Amazon is creating a blueprint for an air-traffic system and the necessary technology is rapidly developing.

The USA has challenged the Japanese team to a fight - a robot fight. And Team Japan accepts. Source: Suidobashi Heavy Industry, MegaBots/Youtube

In this video produced for a Malloy Aeronautics Kickstarter campaign, the company showed how a one-third scale model of a new 'hoverbike' design works and moves.

A university's annual Wacky Racers' event, where students invent remote control vehicles and race them around a track, is being held in Christchurch tomorrow. The University of Canterbury's Electrical and Computer Engineering department hosts the annual 'Wacky Racers' event at noon in the Undercroft, Puaka James Hight Building. The final-year students will pit their design skills against each other in a race to the finish.

Tom Short shows off his 1972 Datsun 1200 electric drag racing car to The New Zealand Herald

A team of Tauranga high school students and their robot leave for the USA this week to compete in the VEX Robotics Competition.

Amazon’s ambitious plans for delivery by drone have been dealt a blow thanks to draft US legislation that would severely restrict their commercial use.

This year people searched for everything under the sun and beyond, from distant comets to tiny burritos. And they asked Google important questions like, “where do we come from?” and “should I get married?” Here's the Google annual #YearinSearch , a look back at the searches, questions and moments that defined 2014. Watch the film, explore the site and relive the year along the way. www.google.com/2014?

This timelapse video was taken by ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst as he flew over New Zealand on the International Space Station at around 400 km altitude. The nighttime video shows an aurora that occurs when Earth’s atmosphere interacts with solar radiation. The International Space Station travels at 28 800 km/h meaning that it only takes 90 minutes to circle Earth completely. Footage: European Space Agency

Police have begun deploying advanced roadside technology including gathering biometric data to better identify drink-drivers, including those who give false names. Police Minister Michael Woodhouse this morning officially launched the national roll-out of the "Booze Bus Biometrics (BBB) system". "The BBB system will enable police to confirm, within minutes, the identities of people in the system that they intend to charge with drink-driving offences by electronically scanning fingerprints, taking digital photographs and comparing the data to existing police records", Mr Woodhouse said.

It was a cloudy night north of Auckland to film this time lapse of the last total eclipse that we can see in New Zealand until 2018.

Kiwis eager to get their hands on the new iPhone 6 and 6+ have queued overnight - and in some cases, for a week online. The highly anticipated phone was officially released in New Zealand at 12.01 this morning. Vodafone stores in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin opened their doors at 12.01am for keen Apple fans. Spark (formerly Telecom) tried something different, allowing customers to pre-book their places in online queues by registering an oversized novelty "emoji" - pictures popularly used in text messages - which are printed off and hold their space in the queue.

THINK Global School is a high school that offers teenagers a once-in-a-lifetime international experience. TGS students don’t simply “study abroad.” They immerse themselves in twelve countries over four years. Nzherald.co.nz caught up with the founder and three students during the term in Auckland.

This video supplied by Reviveaphone documents the insane project of a man traveling halfway around the world to get the first iPhone 6 and then dump it in a pitcher of beer.

Renegade former US intelligence analyst Edward Snowden claimed his former employer spy agency National Security Agency has a facility in Auckland. Snowden, who is sheltering in Moscow from US attempts to extradite him on espionage charges, appeared by video link before a capacity crowd at the Kim Dotcom organised Moment of Truth event at Auckland Town Hall. Footage The Moment of Truth/YouTube

This morning the Business Herald has has re-launched its homepage with a host of new features and content to keep you better informed. We’ll continue to bring you comprehensive news and the best business analysis but we’ve added tools which allow you check stock prices, get latest currency rates, compare mortgage and savings rates and pick the best KiwiSaver fund for you. We’ve also built a company search engine to allow you to better search our huge archive of stories and commentary dating back over a decade.

A new geothermal and ground water laboratory recently opened at GNS Science near Taupo will be the only one of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.

NZ company Rocket Lab hopes to launch a locally-based space programme, with its low-cost method of launching satellites.

The New Zealand Herald tour through the Boeing factory near Seattle, Washington, USA where the new Air New Zealand 787-9 Dreamliner was built.

From bicycle kicks to spectacular saves, the FIFA #WorldCup had it all. Relive the most exciting moments. courtesy Twitter/YouTube