Morgantown WV (SPX) Aug 30, 2023
A West Virginia University astronomer is searching the Milky Way for debris left behind by supernovas, the violent explosions that occur when massive stars die. After a supernova explosion, material that was part of the star expands outward, forming a shell or "remnant." According to Loren Anderson, professor at the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, studying supernova remnants is "essen

Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 28, 2023
Earth planning date: Monday, August 28, 2023: Curiosity successfully navigated the numerous resistant, dark boulders (once included in the Gediz Vallis ridge deposit and the focus of our recent investigations), 20 degree slopes and broken up bedrock to cover a distance of ~65 m back towards our planned ascent route up Mount Sharp in the weekend plan. This is one of our longer recent drives

Tucson AZ (SPX) Aug 30, 2023
Swirls are enigmatic albedo (light reflection) patterns on the lunar surface associated with local magnetic anomalies. The processes involved in their formation have been examined and debated since their discovery. The most popular idea is shielding of the surface from solar wind radiation by the associated magnetic anomaly. This explains the swirling pattern, as shielded material would be brigh

Burlington VT (SPX) Aug 30, 2023
Tapped to help U.S. defense agencies deploy safer propellant alternatives to hydrazine, Benchmark Space Systems has announced a two-year, $2.81 million AFRL SPRINT (Space Propulsion Research and Innovation for Neutralizing Satellite Threats) award to further develop and test flight-optimized thrusters running on ASCENT (Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non-Toxic) fuel. It is Benchmark's secon

Cleveland OH (SPX) Aug 24, 2023
Flying from New York City to London up to four times faster than what's currently possible may sound like a far-off dream, but NASA is exploring whether the commercial market could support travel at such speeds. NASA recently investigated the business case for supersonic passenger air travel aboard aircraft that could theoretically travel between Mach 2 and Mach 4 (1,535-3,045 mph at sea level).

Wallops Flight Facility VA (SPX) Aug 25, 2023
Graphene aerogel is a remarkable lightweight material that is both thermally insulating and electrically conductive. This makes it appealing for use in a wide variety of applications-from improved energy storage in batteries to better oil spill cleanup methods to next-generation space suits. A team of researchers from Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley are leveraging

Edawards AFB CA (SPX) Aug 24, 2023
Wind affects all aircraft, particularly during takeoff and landing. It's especially critical for new types of transportation. A new NASA flight campaign studying wind aims to gather information to enhance air taxi safety. Researchers measured wind at altitudes below 2,000 feet using drones, sensors, weather balloons, and other technology during the Advanced Exploration of Reliable Operatio

Karlsruhe, Germany (SPX) Aug 25, 2023
Old production machinery has to be replaced due to changed requirements. However, high weight and limited space in plants often make it very difficult to assemble and disassemble big machines or to reposition them. Frequently, this is done by hand using heavy-duty rollers. FORMIC Transportsysteme, a spinoff of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), has developed a semi-automatic transpor

New Delhi (AFP) Aug 30, 2023
India's Moon rover has confirmed the presence of sulphur on the lunar south pole, the country's space agency said. Last week, India became the first country to land a craft near the largely unexplored south pole, and just the fourth nation to land on the Moon. "The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument onboard Chandrayaan-3 Rover has made the first-ever in-situ measureme