The Parkes dish is still making breakthroughs 60 years after it first gazed at the skies
Friday, 29 October 2021 11:07
The CSIRO's 64-meter Parkes Radio Telescope was commissioned on October 31 1961. At the time it was the most advanced radio telescope in the world, incorporating many innovative features that have since become standard in all large-dish antennas.
Through its early discoveries it quickly became the leading instrument of its kind. Today, 60 years later, it is still arguably the finest single-dish radiotelescope in the world. It is still performing world-class science and making discoveries that shape our understanding of the Universe.
The telescope's origins date back to wartime radar research by the Radiophysics Laboratory, part of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the forerunner of the CSIRO. On the Sydney clifftops at Dover Heights, the laboratory developed radar for use in the Pacific theater. When the second world war ended, the technology was redirected into peaceful applications, including studying radio waves from the Sun and beyond.
In 1946, British physicist Edward "Taffy" Bowen was appointed chief of the Radiophysics Laboratory. He had been one of the brilliant engineers, dubbed "boffins," who developed radar as part of Britain's secret prewar military research.
ExoMars rover comes out of the ‘oven’
Friday, 29 October 2021 11:00
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The Rosalind Franklin rover that will search for life on Mars has completed an important bakeout to help clean the rover from organic molecules from Earth.
The rover sat inside a vacuum chamber for 120 hours at 35ºC at the Thales Alenia Space facility in Rome, Italy. The temperature is enough to sublimate hidden contaminants generated by the off-gassing of some of the rover’s internal parts, such as small bits of glue. The goal is to reduce as much as possible any contamination signature of Earth origin, to allow a clean detection of organic compounds on Mars.
An additional
Satellite maker Terran Orbital strikes $1.58 billion SPAC Deal
Friday, 29 October 2021 08:20
Tailwind Two Acquisition Corp and Terran Orbital Corporation have entered into a definitive business combination agreement. Upon the closing of the transaction, the combined company will operate as Terran Orbital Corporation, with plans to list on the NYSE under the symbol LLAP. The pro forma total enterprise value of the combined companies is approximately $1.58 billion. The transaction is expe Juno peers deep into Jupiter's colorful belts and zones
Friday, 29 October 2021 08:20
Leicester study of data captured in orbit around Jupiter has revealed new insights into what's happening deep beneath the gas giant's distinctive and colourful bands.
Data from the microwave radiometer carried by NASA's Juno spacecraft shows that Jupiter's banded pattern extends deep below the clouds, and that the appearance of Jupiter's belts and zones inverts near the base of the water c Capabilities growth shows why US sees China as pacing challenge
Friday, 29 October 2021 08:20
Army Gen. Mark A. Milley pointed to China's recent test of a hypersonic weapon system as an example of why the U.S. military is concerned about Chinese intentions.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff spoke on Bloomberg News' David Rubenstein Show and said DOD officials saw the test as "a very significant event."
Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby emphasized that China's dev Making space travel inclusive for all
Friday, 29 October 2021 08:20
In a weightless, microgravity environment like space, what do ability and disability look like? How can someone with partial sight or impaired mobility navigate in a confined space like the space station? As scientists and innovators continue to push the boundaries of spaceflight and the possibility of human life on other planets, how can we build space infrastructure that is inclusive of all hu Jupiter's Great Red Spot is deeper than thought, shaped like lens
Friday, 29 October 2021 08:20
New studies of Jupiter's Great Red Spot released Thursday have found that while the meteorological phenomenon is deeper than originally thought, it's largely shaped like a flat lens about 10,000 miles wide.
The vortex storm, the largest of many such spots on Jupiter's surface, extends up to 310 miles below the planet's cloud tops, some 100 miles deeper than previous research indicated. Science results offer first 3D view of Jupiter's atmosphere
Friday, 29 October 2021 08:20
New findings from NASA's Juno probe orbiting Jupiter provide a fuller picture of how the planet's distinctive and colorful atmospheric features offer clues about the unseen processes below its clouds. The results highlight the inner workings of the belts and zones of clouds encircling Jupiter, as well as its polar cyclones and even the Great Red Spot.
Researchers published several papers o Scientists find strange black 'superionic ice' that could exist inside other planets
Friday, 29 October 2021 08:20
Using the Advanced Photon Source, scientists have recreated the structure of ice formed at the center of planets like Neptune and Uranus.
Everyone knows about ice, liquid and vapor - but, depending on the conditions, water can actually form more than a dozen different structures. Scientists have now added a new phase to the list: superionic ice.
This type of ice forms at extremely hi Scientists spot rare neutrino signal for big physics finding
Friday, 29 October 2021 08:20
Did you feel the trillions of neutrinos that just flew through your body? Probably not, because these subatomic particles rarely interact with matter. Neutrinos can travel through a lightyear's worth of lead without ever disturbing a single atom. Understanding these ghost-like particles could unlock mysteries of the universe, but how can scientists study neutrinos if they are seemingly undetecta DARPA, NGA transition novel optics technology to fieldable prototypes
Friday, 29 October 2021 08:20
Materials with novel optical properties developed under DARPA's Extreme Optics and Imaging (EXTREME) program are providing new capabilities for government and military imaging systems. EXTREME, a basic research program in DARPA's Defense Sciences Office, successfully developed new optical components, devices, systems, architectures, and design tools using engineered optical materials, or metamat Watch live: liftoff of ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer
Friday, 29 October 2021 08:20
At 07:21 CET (06:21 GMT) Sunday 31 October ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer will be launched to the International Space Station to begin his Cosmic Kiss mission. Tune in to ESA Web TV channel two from 03:00 CET (01:00 GMT) for live coverage of the launch.
Launch and landing dates under review
Friday, 29 October 2021 08:20NASA and SpaceX continue to review launch and return opportunities for the upcoming flights to and from the International Space Station.
New dates for Crew-2 return and Crew-3 launch
Friday, 29 October 2021 08:20Update: Undocking of Crew-2 with Thomas Pesquet now planned for Sunday, 7 November, 18:05 GMT/19:05 CET for a splashdown on Monday, around 12:14 GMT/13:14 CET. Next launch opportunity for Crew-3 with Matthias Maurer is planned for Thursday, 11 November, 02:03 GMT/03:03 CET.
Low-gravity simulator design offers new avenues for space research and mission training
Friday, 29 October 2021 08:00
As humanity continues its exploration of the universe, the low-gravity environment of space presents unusual challenges for scientists and engineers.
Researchers at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the Florida State University-headquartered National High Magnetic Field Laboratory have developed a new tool to help meet that challenge—a novel design for a low-gravity simulator that promises to break new ground for future space research and habitation.