Scientists invent lead-free composite shielding material for neutron and gamma-ray
Thursday, 06 January 2022 12:28
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Dr. HUO Zhipeng and his student ZHAO Sheng from the Hefei Institutes of physical science (HFIPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently developed a lead-free neutron and gamma ray composite shielding material that has high shielding properties and is environmentally friendly. Their results were published on Nuclear Materials and Energy.
The composite, modified-gadolinium oxide/boron c Leidos signs on as HawkEye 360 investor and strategic partner
Thursday, 06 January 2022 12:00 Write a comment
HawkEye 360 extended its Series D funding round to $150 million with a $5 million investment from Leidos.
Angara upper stage reenters after failed launch
Thursday, 06 January 2022 11:06 Write a comment
The upper stage of a failed Angara launch harmlessly reentered Jan. 5, capping another setback in the protracted development of that vehicle.
China plans space station completion, many launches in 2022
Thursday, 06 January 2022 08:33 Write a comment
New Year’s science in space for a healthier life
Thursday, 06 January 2022 07:09 Write a comment
Another year passes, and our muscles, bones, eyes and ears deteriorate as we age – even more so in space. Reactions in ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer’s body after barely two months on the International Space Station are giving European scientists clues on how to fight the downsides of growing old on Earth.
Space Force wants to help fund technologies to recycle, reuse or remove space debris
Wednesday, 05 January 2022 20:08 Write a comment
Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. David Thompson in a video released Jan. 5 called on the private sector to help clean up space junk.
Webb telescope deploys flap that will keep it oriented during its mission
Wednesday, 05 January 2022 13:24 Write a comment
On December 25, 2021, astronomers and space exploration enthusiasts got the greatest Christmas present of all—after years of delays, cost overruns and additional testing, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. In a real nail-biter, the Ariane 5 rocket and its precious payload reached orbit without a hitch. But as is so often the case, the deployment of the JWST was just the first in a series of "hurry-up-and-wait" episodes.
Typically, periods of waiting are accompanied by plenty of worry and doubt. Luckily, there have been several positive developments since the JWST launched that could alleviate these anxieties. The latest is that the telescope successfully deployed its aft momentum flap, an instrument that will keep the telescope oriented during its mission. The news was announced yesterday (December 30) via @NASAWebb, NASA's official Twitter account for the Webb telescope, and the JWST page at NASA Blogs.
According to NASA Blogs, the deployment of the aft momentum flap began at 09:00 AM EST (06:00 AM PST) and lasted about eight minutes. During this time, the mission team released the flap's hold-down devices while a spring brought the flap into its final position.
Amazon’s Alexa to be tested on Artemis 1
Wednesday, 05 January 2022 12:00 Write a comment
The upcoming uncrewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft will include a payload to see how a voice recognition technology widely available to consumers today could be used to assist astronauts on future missions.
2029 will be the perfect year to launch a mission to Sedna
Wednesday, 05 January 2022 11:13 Write a comment
Object 90377 Sedna—a distant trans-Neptunian object known best for its highly elliptical, 11,390-year long orbit—is currently on its way toward perihelion (its closest approach to the sun) in 2076. After that, Sedna will swing out into deep space again and won't be back for millennia, making this flyby a once-in-a-lifetime (or, once in ~113 lifetimes) opportunity to study an object from the far reaches of our solar system. There are no missions to Sedna in the works just yet, but astronomers are beginning to plan for the possibility, and the ideal launch date for such a mission is approaching fast, with two of the best launch windows coming up in 2029 and 2034.
Sedna was discovered in 2003 by Caltech astronomer Mike Brown and his team, and was one of a series of potential dwarf planets (alongside similar-sized bodies like Haumea, Makemake, and Eris) whose discovery led to the demotion of Pluto in 2006. As best we can tell from a distance, Sedna is about the same size as Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt, but its composition and origins are different.
Space business: The final (profitable) frontier
Wednesday, 05 January 2022 08:31 Write a comment
The snub-nosed craft resembles a shuttle-airplane mashup, and is the latest entrant in a profit-seeking push with staggering potential - and risks - for humans to visit, work or even live in space.
The display of technology like the life-size model "Dream Chaser" ship at the CES tech show in Las Vegas is a sharp signal that the commercial space era is upon us.
Experts see a path for Sunshield deploys on NASA's Next Flagship Telescope
Wednesday, 05 January 2022 08:31 Write a comment
The James Webb Space Telescope team has fully deployed the spacecraft's 70-foot sunshield, a key milestone in preparing it for science operations. The sunshield - about the size of a tennis court at full size - was folded to fit inside the payload area of an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket's nose cone prior to launch. The Webb team began remotely deploying the sunshield Dec. 28, 2021, three days aft Resolving the black hole 'fuzzball or wormhole' debate
Wednesday, 05 January 2022 08:31 Write a comment
Black holes really are giant fuzzballs, a new study says. The study attempts to put to rest the debate over Stephen Hawking's famous information paradox, the problem created by Hawking's conclusion that any data that enters a black hole can never leave. This conclusion accorded with the laws of thermodynamics, but opposed the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics.
"What we found from strin China plans missions to moon's south pole
Wednesday, 05 January 2022 08:31 Write a comment
China has approved the fourth phase of its lunar exploration program, including a basic model of a research station built on the moon over the coming decade, according to the China National Space Administration.
Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the administration, said China would carry out lunar exploration in the future Chang'e-6, Chang'e-7 and Chang'e-8 missions.
As planned, Chang'e- Flight 19 - New Year, Same Ingenuity
Wednesday, 05 January 2022 08:31 Write a comment
The next flight on Mars marks the first of 2022 and the nineteenth for NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. The current mission goal is to reach the Jezero river delta to aid the Perseverance rover in path planning and scientific discovery.
This flight, which will take place no earlier than Friday, Jan. 7, takes the scout vehicle out of the South Seitah basin, across the dividing ridge, and u Sols 3347-3348: Bem Vindo a Roraima!
Wednesday, 05 January 2022 08:31 Write a comment
Tosol, Curiosity woke up in a new mapping quadrant, Roraima. The Roraima quadrant is named after the northern-most state of Brazil and Mount Roraima, which is the highest peak in the Pakaraima mountains which sits between Brazil, Venezuela, and Guyana.
The terrain in the Roraima region on Earth looks somewhat similar to the area Curiosity is in - with flat-topped hills and some steep slope