Quantum marbles in a bowl of light
Monday, 03 January 2022 09:00Which factors determine how fast a quantum computer can perform its calculations? Physicists at the University of Bonn and the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology have devised an elegant experiment to answer this question. The results of the study are published in the journal Science Advances. Quantum computers are highly sophisticated machines that rely on the principles of quantum
NASA selects 4 university teams for aviation projects
Monday, 03 January 2022 09:00NASA's research focus on sustainable aviation will get some big help from teams of university faculty and students recently selected to participate in the agency's University Leadership Initiative (ULI). ULI gives the academic community an opportunity to support NASA's aeronautical research goals and provide students with valuable experience in solving real-world technical challenges.
Say hello to a record-setting isotope
Monday, 03 January 2022 09:00In collaboration with an international team of researchers, Michigan State University has helped create the world's lightest version, or isotope, of magnesium to date. Forged at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at MSU, or NSCL, this isotope is so unstable, it falls apart before scientists can measure it directly. Yet this isotope that isn't keen on existing can help resear
Integrated photonics meets electron microscopy
Monday, 03 January 2022 09:00The transmission electron microscope (TEM) can image molecular structures at the atomic scale by using electrons instead of light, and has revolutionized materials science and structural biology. The past decade has seen a lot of interest in combining electron microscopy with optical excitations, trying, for example, to control and manipulate the electron beam by light. But a major challenge has
Scalable, high-speed avionics for safety-critical space applications
Monday, 03 January 2022 02:27The exploitation and exploration of space opens the door to improvements of life on earth, new discoveries and new research opportunities. However, space flight also provides a unique range of challenges due to the harsh environment and difficulty in maintaining systems. Safety, fault-tolerance, and availability are key to ensuring successful missions - both for unmanned vehicles and in human sp
Space Station research during 2021
Monday, 03 January 2022 02:27As the International Space Station enters its third decade of continuous human presence, the impact of microgravity research conducted there keeps growing. The months between Nov. 2020 and Nov. 2021 saw publication of more than 400 scientific papers based on studies aboard the orbiting lab. Here are some highlights of recent results from groundbreaking space station science: b>More
China's astronauts mark New Year with livestream from space
Monday, 03 January 2022 02:27From hosting a children's art gallery in space to answering questions about manned spaceflight, the three astronauts onboard China's Tiangong space station celebrated the New Year by cultivating science and inspiration in the country's youth. On Saturday afternoon, astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu hosted a live video call and interacted with college students at venues in
Chinese Mars mission sends photos of the Red Planet
Monday, 03 January 2022 02:27The China National Space Administration published on Saturday four pictures taken by its Tianwen 1 Mars mission, including the first full photo of the mission orbiter. The color pictures show the orbiter flying around the Red Planet in an orbit, the ice cover on Mars' north pole and a scene of a barren Martian plain. The orbiter's full picture was taken by a camera released by the cr
Webb deployment timeline adjusted to focus on initial spacecraft operations
Monday, 03 January 2022 02:27Taking advantage of its flexible commissioning schedule, the Webb team has decided to focus today on optimizing Webb's power systems while learning more about how the observatory behaves in space. As a result, the Webb mission operations team has moved the beginning of sunshield tensioning activities to no earlier than tomorrow, Monday, Jan. 3. This will ensure Webb is in prime condition t
Webb Telescope successfully unfurls crucial sunshield
Sunday, 02 January 2022 11:13A massive sunshield aboard the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope has been successfully unfurled in a crucial step for its operations, NASA says. The telescope's second, or starboard, sunshield mid-boom was extended late Friday as the observatory "passed another critical deployment milestone," the space agency announced. The deployment capped a two-day operation in which all
NASA takes break in JWST deployment after extending sunshield
Saturday, 01 January 2022 20:00NASA is taking a one-day break in the deployment of the James Webb Space Telescope after successfully extending booms for the spacecraft’s sunshield.
Orbital Badminton in 360° | Cosmic Kiss
Saturday, 01 January 2022 16:00Experience an orbital badminton match on the International Space Station ISS in 360° as ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer challenges his crewmates and Japanese spaceflight participants Yusaku Maezawa and Yozo Hirano.
Together with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, the Japanese spaceflight participants joined the current Expedition 66 crew for a short-term stay of 12 days on the ISS.
While their stay on the ISS focuses on scientific and operational activities, the astronauts on board the Space Station also enjoy recreational activities that provide an important balance for the crew and offer opportunities for intercultural exchange and team building.
Matthias
US Govt orders Polyakov to sell entire Firefly Aerospace stake
Saturday, 01 January 2022 06:59The businessman revitalised the space company using his own funds back in 2017, when it was on the brink of bankruptcy. Since then, the firm secured its first contracts with the US government and held a partially successful first launch of a satellite. The US government demanded Ukrainian software mogul Max Polyakov to sell his entire stake in the space company Firefly Aerospace, which man
NASA Research Boosts LED Lamps for Home and Garden
Saturday, 01 January 2022 06:59NASA's exploration requires research into how light affects both humans and plants: John Glenn's first trip into Earth orbit lasted just under five hours, but today, astronauts regularly stay six months or longer on the International Space Station. Experiencing over a dozen sunrises and sunsets each day means an astronaut's biological clock tends to be in the wrong time zone. And for longer deep
'Wonder material' phosphorene nanoribbons live up to hype in first demonstration
Saturday, 01 January 2022 06:59Researchers have incorporated phosphorene nanoribbons into new types of solar cells, dramatically improving their efficiency. Phosphorene nanoribbons (PNRs) are ribbon-like strands of the 2D material phosphorous, which, similar to graphene, are made of single-atom-thick layers of atoms. PNRs were first produced in 2019, and hundreds of theoretical studies have predicted how their propertie