Friedrichshafen, Germany (SPX) Mar 09, 2022
Airbus has successfully completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for its system concept for the second generation Galileo navigation satellites. During this important milestone, Airbus' proposed preliminary design and the customer's system requirements have been fully reviewed and agreed. This paves the way for further verification, acceptance and qualification at equipment and module

Munich, Germany (SPX) Mar 09, 2022
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, researchers at Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands have for the first time detected dimethyl ether in a planet-forming disc. With nine atoms, this is the largest molecule identified in such a disc to date. It is also a precursor of larger organic molecules that can lead to the emergence of life. "From these results,

Trieste, Italy (SPX) Mar 07, 2022
A huge amount of mysterious dark energy is necessary to explain cosmological phenomena, such as the accelerated expansion of the Universe, with Einstein's theory. But what if dark energy was just an illusion and general relativity itself had to be modified? A new SISSA study, published in Physical Review Letters, offers a new approach to answer this question. Thanks to huge computational a

Washington DC (SPX) Mar 09, 2022
Future tokamak fusion power reactors will generate heat beyond what current materials can withstand. Scientists have proposed various methods for cooling the edge of the magnetically confined fusion fuel, or plasma, to protect the walls of the surrounding tokamak. One approach is injecting impurities in the form of gases to help radiate away excess heat. However, there is a limited range of gase

by Molly Porter for MSFC News
Huntsville AL (SPX) Mar 09, 2022 Right now, some 182 million miles separate the red clay of Alabama from the dusty red planet Mars. But groundbreaking flight hardware developed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, will soon close that distance. The new hardware is an integral component of the Mars Sample Return campaign, a historic endeavor that will, for the fir

New Haven CT (SPX) Mar 08, 2022
Researchers at Yale and Caltech have a bold new theory to explain how Earth transformed itself from a fiery, carbon-clouded ball of rocks into a planet capable of sustaining life. The theory covers Earth's earliest years and involves "weird" rocks that interacted with seawater in just the right way to nudge biological matter into existence. "This period is the most enigmatic time in

Washington DC (SPX) Mar 04, 2022
NASA will participate in the 2022 Commodity Classic conference, America's largest farmer-led, farmer-focused educational and agricultural experience. Agency representatives will discuss information, tools, and resources, drawn from the NASA's Earth observation satellites and science research. Farmers and others regularly make decisions about water management, planting, and market decisions

Tehran (AFP) Mar 08, 2022
Iran announced Tuesday it had successfully placed a military satellite in orbit, as talks on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers reach a critical stage. "Iran's second military satellite - named Nour-2 - has been launched into space by the Qassed rocket of the aerospace wing of the Revolutionary Guards and successfully placed in orbit 500 kilometres (310 miles) a

Washington DC (UPI) Mar 8, 2021
SpaceX plans to launch more Starlink communications satellites from Florida on Wednesday as the Ukrainian government uses the service during its defense against the Russian invasion. The use of satellite communications by defenders in a conflict, where ground communications may be destroyed at any moment, can make a big difference in the outcome, John Scott Railton of the University of

Long Beach CA (SPX) Mar 09, 2022
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. reports that its next-generation solar cell technology is transitioning into qualification. The cell is the next product from SolAero's patented Inverted MetaMorphic (IMM) solar cell technology, dubbed IMM-ss, that is expected to exhibit a conversion efficiency of ~33.3% in volume production. IMM-ss is the 4th generation IMM product created by SolAero Technologies Inc. (SolA