NASA's New Material Built to Withstand Extreme Conditions
Wednesday, 20 April 2022 07:32NASA innovators recently developed a new metal alloy using a 3D printing process that dramatically improves the strength and durability of the components and parts used in aviation and space exploration, resulting in better and longer-lasting performance. NASA Alloy GRX-810, an oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloy, can endure temperatures over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, is more malleab
Scientists have improved the composition of radiation protection glasses
Wednesday, 20 April 2022 07:32Scientists at the Ural Federal University (UrFU) with colleagues from the Arabian Peninsula have improved the radiation protection properties of glass, in particular borate glasses (boron oxide-based glass). They introduced special additives into the basic composition of the glass - heavy metal oxides. This significantly increased the density of the material without affecting its transparency. A
Can LISA see the gravity waves 10 picoseconds after the Big Bang
Wednesday, 20 April 2022 03:01The early universe may chirp about unknown physics. A University of Helsinki research team has demonstrated how an early universe phase transition will lead to gravitational wave signals potentially visible in the upcoming satellite missions. The research results were recently published in the prestigious journal Physical Review Letters. Phase transitions, such as the boiling of water or t
Axiom-1 return to Earth delayed due to weather
Wednesday, 20 April 2022 03:01The Axiom-1 private astronauts aboard the International Space Station will stay in space a little longer because of poor weather in the area of the Atlantic Ocean where their capsule is to splash down. Weather officials, together with Axiom, NASA and SpaceX, are working to determine when they can safely bring the crew home. The crew has already spent 12 days in space. Once a new
Rocket Lab secures multi-launch contract with HawkEye 360
Wednesday, 20 April 2022 03:01Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) has been selected by Virginia-based HawkEye 360 to launch three Electron missions for the radio frequency geospatial analytics provider. The first of the three missions is scheduled to be Rocket Lab's inaugural Electron mission from Launch Complex 2 on Wallops Island, Virginia, ushering in an era of Rocket Lab launches from U.S. soil from no earlier than December 2022.
NASA builds welding test article for SLS Exploration Upper Stage
Wednesday, 20 April 2022 03:01NASA completed manufacturing of a hydrogen tank barrel that will be tested as a weld confidence article for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's Exploration Upper Stage (EUS). Weld confidence articles help establish welding procedures and interfaces between the tooling and hardware and ensure the structural integrity of the welds. Starting with the Artemis IV mission, the EUS will provide the
Report identifies priority planetary science mission and planetary defense efforts as strategic investments
Wednesday, 20 April 2022 03:01A new decadal survey from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine identifies scientific priorities and opportunities and makes funding recommendations to maximize the advancement of planetary science, astrobiology, and planetary defense in the next 10 years. The recommendations by the steering committee for the decadal survey draw on input from the scientific communit
Small spacecraft electric propulsion opens new deep space opportunities
Wednesday, 20 April 2022 03:01The path to the Moon, Mars, and beyond will require a fleet of spacecraft in many different shapes and sizes, including everything from massive rockets that produce millions of pounds of thrust to pioneering small electric propulsion thrusters that fit in the palm of your hand. For decades, innovators at NASA's Glenn Research Center have been developing large, high-power electric propulsio
NASA's Perseverance rover arrives at Delta for new science campaign
Wednesday, 20 April 2022 03:01After collecting eight rock-core samples from its first science campaign and completing a record-breaking, 31-Martian-day (or sol) dash across about 3 miles (5 kilometers) of Mars, NASA's Perseverance rover arrived at the doorstep of Jezero Crater's ancient river delta April 13. Dubbed "Three Forks" by the Perseverance team (a reference to the spot where three route options to the delta merge),
Sols 3449-3450: Comin' Down the Mountain
Wednesday, 20 April 2022 03:01After spending the last few weeks exploring the top of the nearby pediment surface, Curiosity is now making her way back down from the pediment and towards an alternate route to Gediz Vallis Ridge. The beginning of the most recent drive sequence successfully extracted Curiosity from the rock that stopped last Wednesday's drive (see images Figure A and Figure B, but the second half of the d
Jupiter's moon has splendid dunes
Wednesday, 20 April 2022 03:01Scientists have long wondered how Jupiter's innermost moon, Io, has meandering ridges as grand as any that can be seen in movies like "Dune." Now, a Rutgers research study has provided a new explanation of how dunes can form even on a surface as icy and roiling as Io's. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, is based on a study of the physical processes controlling grai
Explanation for formation of abundant features on Europa bodes well for search for extraterrestrial life
Wednesday, 20 April 2022 03:01Europa is a prime candidate for life in our solar system, and its deep saltwater ocean has captivated scientists for decades. But it's enclosed by an icy shell that could be miles to tens of miles thick, making sampling it a daunting prospect. Now, increasing evidence reveals the ice shell may be less of a barrier and more of a dynamic system - and site of potential habitability in its own right
Water on Jupiter's moon closer to surface than thought: study
Wednesday, 20 April 2022 03:01Ridges that criss-cross the icy surface of Jupiter's moon Europa indicate there are shallow pockets of water beneath, boosting hopes in the search for extra-terrestrial life, scientists said Tuesday. Europa has long been a candidate for finding life in our solar system due to its vast ocean, which is widely thought to contain liquid water - a key ingredient for life. There is a problem:
Celebrating Hubble's 32nd birthday with a galaxy grouping
Wednesday, 20 April 2022 03:01The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is celebrating its 32nd birthday with a stunning look at an unusual close-knit collection of five galaxies, called the Hickson Compact Group 40. This snapshot reflects a special moment in their lifetimes as they fall together before they merge. This menagerie includes three spiral-shaped galaxies, an elliptical galaxy and a lenticular (lens-like) galaxy.
Building a better spacesuit
Tuesday, 19 April 2022 20:27It's been 50 years since humans first walked on the moon. Since then, astronauts have primarily explored low Earth orbit. Now that NASA is preparing to return to the moon, experts are reevaluating the practicality of the spacesuit.
Ana Diaz Artiles, assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, and graduate student Logan Kluis have been working on developments for the SmartSuit, a new spacesuit architecture that would create a safer and better spacesuit environment for Extravehicular Activity (EVA) on planetary surfaces.
The SmartSuit is a spacesuit architecture proposed by Diaz Artiles that focuses on three key improvements to the current suit design; increased mobility, enhanced safety and informed interaction between the environment and the astronaut. Most recently, Diaz Artiles and Kluis, in collaboration with Robert Shepherd, associate professor at Cornell University, have been developing prototypes of soft-robotics assistive actuators for the knee joints.
"The current spacesuit has been designed for microgravity conditions; in these conditions, astronauts don't need to walk or move around using their lower body, they typically translate themselves using their upper body," said Diaz Artiles.