Aerospace & Defence
Master reference oscillators used in satellite programme
Microsemi Corporation has announced the company was chosen to supply its master reference oscillator for the US Air Force’s Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellite programme for which Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor.
The origins of solar wind revealed
Ever since the 1950s discovery of the solar wind – the constant flow of charged particles from the sun – there’s been a stark disconnect between this outpouring and the sun itself. As it approaches Earth, the solar wind is gusty and turbulent. But near the sun where it originates, this wind is structured in distinct rays, much like a child’s simple drawing of the sun.
NASA tests new insulation for SLS rocket
You may not think about insulation much, but it's one of those unsung industry heroes that keeps our drinks cold and homes warm on those bone-chilling winter days. Insulation also is a key component to protecting NASA's Space Launch System and its super-cold fuels for the journey to Mars.
NASA launches citizen science opportunity
Now available for Apple and Android phones, the app is an initiative of the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) programme, a science and education effort that for over two decades has enabled schools and students in over 110 countries to investigate their local environment and put their observations in a global context hand holding cell phone and clouds.
Ceramic composites revolutionise engine efficiency
Lighter, faster, more efficient. Whenever you advance a technology, that’s the goal. As NASA looks to transform the commercial aircraft of the future, efficient engines are at the heart of it all. To achieve the goal of better engines on future aircraft, researchers at NASA Glenn are investigating promising advances in high-temperature materials that can be used to make turbine engine components.
How to get a satellite into a bottle
How do you get an entire spacecraft into a 3.5-litre container, which is the equivalent of a double-magnum wine bottle? For the first time, an EPFL team took up the challenge set each year by the CanSat competition, which has become one of the largest university events for space-related topics since it was started in the 1990s.
Jeff Williams racks up new time-in-space record
On Wednesday, 24th August, NASA astronaut and Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams surpassed 520 days living in space, breaking Scott Kelly’s previous record for most cumulative time spent in space by a US astronaut, set during Kelly’s year-long mission. By the time Williams returns home on 6th September, he’ll leave us with a new total of 534 days.
NASA holds final sample return robot competition
After five years of competition by more than 40 different teams from around the globe, NASA’s Sample Return Robot Challenge has reached its final stage. The top seven teams will compete for the $1.36m prize purse on the campus of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts, 4th-6th September.
NASA simulation of return from low-earth orbit mission
Hoisted about 30ft. in the air, a mockup of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft awaits its encounter with a pad full of dirt. “Three, two, one” projects over the loud speaker just before the spacecraft is released and makes a loud thud when meeting the dirt. Six attached airbags absorb much of the landing impact and stabilise the spacecraft.
Prototype of an aircraft that could fly over Mars
At NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, a group of students successfully flew a prototype of an aircraft that could one day fly in the Martian atmosphere and send its findings back to Earth. Called the Preliminary Research Aerodynamic Design to Land on Mars, or Prandtl-M, the small, remotely piloted glider aircraft flew 11th August at Armstrong.