Pitt is the only university in the U.S. with this giant 3D printer for metal
Tucked away in the sub-basement of Pitt's Benedum Hall, past the racecar parts spilling into hallways, you'll find a giant machine that looks like a cross between a car garage and the entry port of a sci-fi spaceship. It's a state-of-the-art 3D printer for metal - the first Gefertec arc605 at any university in the U.S.
For producing big, specialized metal parts, the machine is unbeatable, A step towards quantum gravity
In Einstein's theory of general relativity, gravity arises when a massive object distorts the fabric of spacetime the way a ball sinks into a piece of stretched cloth. Solving Einstein's equations by using quantities that apply across all space and time coordinates could enable physicists to eventually find their 'white whale': a quantum theory of gravity.
In a new article in EPJ Historica Matter at extreme temperature and pressure turns out to be remarkably simple and universal
Scientists at Queen Mary University of London have made two discoveries about the behaviour of 'supercritical matter' - matter at the critical point where the differences between liquids and gases seemingly disappear.
Previously, while the behaviour of matter at reasonably low temperature and pressure was well understood, the picture of matter at high temperature and pressure was blurred. SpaceX gets $1.9 million Air Force contract for Starlink services in Europe and Africa

The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command awarded SpaceX a $1.9 million one-year contract to provide Starlink internet services in Europe and Africa starting this month.
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The new generation of Starlink satellites remain above the accepted brightness threshold

It's one of the stranger sights of the modern Space Age. Recently, we found ourselves under the relatively dark skies of southern Spain. Sure enough, within a few minutes, we caught sight of a chain of flashing "stars" winking in and out of view in quick succession.
Starlink trains are now a familiar sight, the boon and bane of the modern era. While SpaceX's mega-satellite promises to become a true disruptor in the worldwide internet game, it also has the potential to add to the burden of light pollution in the night sky. Will there soon come a time in the not-too-distant future when moving artificial "stars" outnumber real ones?
The rise of Starlink
The problem for astronomers didn't really become apparent until the first launch of 60 Starlink satellites in May 2019. To date, SpaceX has launched Starlink batches at a breakneck pace, with over 2,900 total deployed and 2,286 still in orbit and in service as of early August 2022.
D-Orbit cancels SPAC merger plan

Space logistics company D-Orbit said Aug. 12 it has canceled plans to go public by merging with Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC).
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Smallsat’s supply chain woes

How pandemic and war dealt a double whammy to a supply chain already struggling to keep up.
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Op-ed | DoD falling short on responsive space capabilities

While there have been successful projects demonstrating readily available industry capability, the Department of Defense has not yet successfully institutionalized the imperative of responsive space
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NASA moves up launch of massive moon rocket
NASA announced Monday that it will roll out its Artemis I Moon rocket on Tuesday evening, which is two days earlier than originally planned.
Tuesday's planned roll out represents the final prelaunch test before the scheduled launch on Aug. 29. The uncrewed test flight will remain in space for 42 days before returning to Earth.
Rick LaBrode, the lead flight director for Artemis I, Space mission shows Earth's water may be from asteroids
Water may have been brought to Earth by asteroids from the outer edges of the solar system, scientists said after analysing rare samples collected on a six-year Japanese space mission.
In a quest to shed light on the origins of life and the formation of the universe, researchers are scrutinising material brought back to earth in 2020 from the asteroid Ryugu.
The 5.4 grams (0.2 ounces) of 