Earth's meteorite impacts over past 500 million years tracked
Wednesday, 09 June 2021 06:44For the first time, a unique study conducted at Lund University in Sweden has tracked the meteorite flux to Earth over the past 500 million years. Contrary to current theories, researchers have determined that major collisions in the asteroid belt have not generally affected the number of impacts with Earth to any great extent. Researchers have been studying geological series since the 19t
First images of Ganymede as Juno sailed by
Wednesday, 09 June 2021 06:44The first two images from NASA Juno's June 7, 2021, flyby of Jupiter's giant moon Ganymede have been received on Earth. The photos - one from the Jupiter orbiter's JunoCam imager and the other from its Stellar Reference Unit star camera - show the surface in remarkable detail, including craters, clearly distinct dark and bright terrain, and long structural features possibly linked to tectonic fa
Finding quasars: Rare extragalactic objects are now easier to spot
Wednesday, 09 June 2021 06:44Astrophysicists from the University of Bath have developed a new method for pinpointing the whereabouts of extremely rare extragalactic objects. They hope their technique for finding 'changing-look quasars' will take scientists one step closer to unravelling one of greatest mysteries of the universe - how supermassive black holes grow. Quasars are believed to be responsible for regulating the gr
From burglar alarms to black hole detectors
Wednesday, 09 June 2021 06:44Last year, Anupam Mazumdar, a physicist from the University of Groningen, jointly proposed an experiment together with colleagues from the UK that could conclusively prove whether gravity is a quantum phenomenon. This experiment would focus on observing two relatively large, entangled quantum systems in free fall. In a new article, published on 4 June in Physical Review Research, the scien
Organic molecules reveal clues about dying stars and outskirts of Milky Way
Wednesday, 09 June 2021 06:44Researchers from the University of Arizona will present findings from radio-astronomical observations of organic molecules at the 238th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, or AAS, during a press conference titled "Molecules in Strange Places" at the 238th AAS Meeting on Tuesday, June 8, at 12:15 p.m. EDT. A team led by Lucy Ziurys at the University of Arizona reports observations
THOR hammers drones in new video animation
Wednesday, 09 June 2021 06:44The Air Force Research Laboratory has created a new video animation that realistically depicts THOR (Tactical High-power Operational Responder) destroying swarms of enemy drones in a base defense scenario. In an effort to counter the increasing threat posed by enemy drones and other airborne threats, the Air Force developed THOR. THOR is a prototype Directed Energy (DE) weapon used t
Radiation-hardened MOSFET qualified for commercial and military satellites and space power solutions
Wednesday, 09 June 2021 06:44Power supplies in space applications operate in environments that require enhanced radiation technology to withstand extreme particle interactions and solar and electromagnetic events. These events degrade space-based systems and disrupt operations. To meet this requirement, Microchip Technology Inc. has announced the qualification of its M6 MRH25N12U3 radiation-hardened 250V, 0.21 Ohm Rds
Lunar IceCube passes critical testing at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Wednesday, 09 June 2021 06:44The Lunar IceCube CubeSat successfully passed essential environmental testing at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The spacecraft, pictured above, will fly aboard the upcoming Artemis I mission to the Moon as a secondary payload to investigate the amount and distribution of water ice on the Moon. The spacecraft must go through intensive testing on Earth before flig
Complex shapes of photons to boost future quantum technologies
Wednesday, 09 June 2021 06:44As the digital revolution has now become mainstream, quantum computing and quantum communication are rising in the consciousness of the field. The enhanced measurement technologies enabled by quantum phenomena, and the possibility of scientific progress using new methods, are of particular interest to researchers around the world. Recently two researchers at Tampere University, Assistant P
Engineers design battery to power flying cars
Wednesday, 09 June 2021 06:44Engineers at Penn State published plans Monday for a battery prototype they said is capable of powering flying cars. "I think flying cars have the potential to eliminate a lot of time and increase productivity and open the sky corridors to transportation," lead author Chao-Yang Wang said in a press release on the study, published in the journal Joule. "But electric vertical takeo
Spacecraft buzzes Jupiter's mega moon, 1st close-up in years
Wednesday, 09 June 2021 06:38NASA's Juno spacecraft has provided the first close-ups of Jupiter's largest moon in two decades.
Juno zoomed past icy Ganymede on Monday, passing within 645 miles (1,038 kilometers).
NASA astrophysics director to step down
Tuesday, 08 June 2021 23:17WASHINGTON — Paul Hertz, who has led NASA’s astrophysics programs for nearly a decade, will step down by the end of the year to pursue his “next challenge” at the space agency.
During a town hall session of the 238th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) June 7, Hertz took attendees by surprise when he said it was time for someone new to serve as director of the astrophysics division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.
10 firms join Techstars 2021 Space Accelerator class
Tuesday, 08 June 2021 21:21SAN FRANCISCO –Techstars Space Accelerator launched its 2021 class June 7 with nine U.S. and one Australian company.
While some of the firms are squarely focused on the space sector, others are newcomers after discovering space applications for related technologies like quantum security, photonics, autonomy and communications.
GAO’s annual review of DoD programs raises concerns on space launch, missile warning satellites
Tuesday, 08 June 2021 19:39WASHINGTON — Technical challenges in the development of United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan rocket could prevent the Defense Department from ending its reliance on the Russian-made RD-180 rocket engine by 2022 as required by Congress, the Government Accountability Office said in a report published June 8.
Skylo launches connected device services in India on Inmarsat network
Tuesday, 08 June 2021 19:08TAMPA, Fla. — Silicon Valley startup Skylo has started connecting machines and sensors in India to its Internet of Things (IoT) network, using British operator Inmarsat’s satellites.