Copernical Team
UChicago scientist crafts new model to enhance forecasting of atmospheric rivers
When severe rains and high winds hit densely populated coastal areas, the impacts can be devastating, but early warnings provide crucial preparation time. These intense storms are often fueled by atmospheric rivers - bands of concentrated moisture traveling across the sky on strong winds. Although meteorologists closely monitor them, predicting the specific behavior of an atmospheric river has b
The shifting history of North America's ancient ice sheet
Imagining a vast ice sheet sprawling over Canada and extending down into what is now the northern United States, reaching as far south as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, helps us grasp the scope of ancient glacial coverage between 19,000 and 26,000 years ago. Yet, while picturing this immense ice mass is fascinating, the present-day implications of its retreat - parti
China launches new set of remote-sensing satellites
China's advancements in satellite technology took another step forward as it successfully launched a new group of PIESAT-2 remote-sensing satellites from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China on Saturday. The launch, executed at precisely 11:39 am Beijing Time, utilized the Long March 2C carrier rocket, a mainstay in China's space missions, to transport the satellites into orbit
MARSS showcases advanced AI-driven CUAS system at Red Sands 2024
MARSS, a leader in defense technology, played a prominent role in Red Sands 2024, showcasing its cutting-edge Counter UAS (CUAS) systems. Organized by the US Army DEVCOM, ARCENT, and the Royal Saudi Air Forces, the Red Sands 24.2 exercise served as a rigorous test environment for the latest CUAS innovations addressing the surge in unmanned aerial system (UAS) threats. MARSS, a returning pa
Kongsberg signs ESA contract to build Arctic maritime surveillance satellite for Norway
Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace has secured a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to construct a microsatellite designed for the Arctic Ocean Surveillance (AOS) project. This mission, driven by the Norwegian Space Agency (NOSA), will provide maritime surveillance services to the Norwegian government, enhancing security and monitoring capabilities in Norway's surrounding Arctic waters.
Hurricane Helene's atmospheric waves captured by NASA's new AWE mission
On Sept. 26, 2024, as Hurricane Helene struck Florida's Gulf Coast with powerful storm surges and severe impacts, NASA's Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) captured unprecedented data on the atmospheric disturbances it generated. Located about 55 miles above Earth, these disturbances, known as atmospheric gravity waves, were recorded as immense ripples through the upper atmosphere, offering valu
Paradigm Shift in Science: From Big Data to Autonomous Robot Scientists
In a recent study led by Professor Xin Li and Dr. Yanlong Guo of the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, researchers analyze how scientific research is evolving through the power of big data and artificial intelligence (AI). The paper discusses how the traditional "correlation supersedes causation" model is being increasingly challenged by new "data-intensive scie
CHAPPIE: An innovative advancement in CBRN defense
Buckley Space Force Base is home to one of the Defense Department's only two chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear quadrupedal unmanned ground vehicles. "You spend enough time around him and start to forget he's a QUGV," said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Dominic Garcia, Installation Office of Emergency Management section chief. Garcia refers to this innovative QUGV, affectionately k
Proba-3 to continuously monitor Sun's energy output
Proba-3's ambitious mission requires more than one spacecraft to achieve its objectives. To enable the Coronagraph spacecraft to study the Sun's outer atmosphere, the Occulter spacecraft must block the solar disk. This setup places the Occulter in continuous solar alignment, making it an invaluable scientific platform. The Occulter is equipped with the Davos Absolute Radiometer (DARA), a c
Fugro supports debut of Lunar Terrain Vehicle prototype
Earlier this year, Fugro Australia's Space Automation, AI, and Robotics Control Complex (SpAARC) entered into a partnership with U.S. space exploration company Intuitive Machines to aid their phase 1 feasibility contract with NASA for a Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV). On Friday, JSC's Space Centre Houston, hosted the unveiling of the first prototype, named Moon RACER. Fugro, known for its exp