Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 04, 2022
The powerful underwater volcanic eruption that blanketed the island nation of Tonga with ash and sent tsunami waves across the world also caused ripples in Earth's ionosphere, according to measurements from the Global Differential Global Positioning System (GDGPS) managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. When the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted on Jan.

Mainz, Germany (SPX) Feb 04, 2022
In early December 2021, the project "Development of a laser system for experiments with Bose-Einstein condensates on the International Space Station within the BECCAL payload (BECCAL-II)" commenced, with the involvement of a team of researchers led by Professor Patrick Windpassinger and Dr. Andre Wenzlawski from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). In collaboration with Humboldt-Univ

University Park PA (SPX) Feb 04, 2022
By demonstrating exceptional control of an open optical system, an international research team has provided a path to experimentally measure and test exotic phenomena and gain insights into new physics with exquisite sensitivity. Reported in Nature Communications, the Penn State, Michigan Technological University and Vienna University of Technology researchers created a stable surface of '

Lemont IL (SPX) Feb 04, 2022
Breakthrough using common material could pave way for new quantum technologies. Quantum science holds promise for many technological applications, such as building hackerproof communication networks or quantum computers that could accelerate new drug discovery. These applications require a quantum version of a computer bit, known as a qubit, that stores quantum information. But researchers

Bonn, Germany (SPX) Feb 07, 2022
A few years ago, a novel measurement technique showed that protons are probably smaller than had been assumed since the 1990s. The discrepancy surprised the scientific community; some researchers even believed that the Standard Model of particle physics would have to be changed. Physicists at the University of Bonn and the Technical University of Darmstadt have now developed a method that

Evry, France (SPX) Feb 04, 2022
After the successful launch of NASA's Webb Space Telescope on December 25 with Ariane 5, Arianespace is back to the Guiana Space Center (CSG) with Soyuz for a February 10 lift-off. The first Arianespace mission of the year will orbit 34 additional OneWeb satellites. With this mission, Arianespace will exceed 100 satellites launched on Soyuz from the CSG, while OneWeb's fleet will be brought to 4

Orlando FL (SPX) Feb 07, 2022
Anew race to harness hypersonic speed for travel and defense has started, and University of Central Florida researchers are helping the U.S. stay ahead of the pack with a new $1.5 million U.S. Department of Defense award to develop high-performance fuels for hypersonic propulsion. The race, which includes competition from Russia and China, recently intensified when it was reported that Chi

London, UK (SPX) Feb 04, 2022
With Britain's first satellite launches set to take place this year, the SatelLife Competition is looking for the best new ideas for how to use data collected from space to benefit daily life, from supporting local communities and the NHS, to monitoring the environment and tackling climate change. The competition is now in its fifth year, with previous winning ideas including drones carryi

Ishikawa, Japan (SPX) Feb 08, 2022
Atomic forces are primarily responsible for the motion of atoms and their versatile arrangement patterns, which is unique for different types of materials. Atomic simulation methods are a popular choice for the calculation of these forces, the understanding of which can vastly enhance existing knowledge on how to improve a material's function at an atomic level. Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) m

Washington (AFP) Feb 8, 2022
Lockheed Martin's space division has won a NASA contract to build the rocket that will return the first Mars rock samples to Earth in the 2030s, the US space agency said Monday. The "small, lightweight rocket" will be the first to take off from another planet, bringing back "rock, sediment and atmospheric samples from the surface of the Red Planet," NASA said in a statement. NASA's Perse