Aerospace & Defence

NASA’s Game Changing Development Program (GCD), managed by the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, and the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) are seeking novel and robust concepts for in-space assembly of spacecraft — particularly tugs, propelled by Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP), that transfer payloads from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to a Lunar Distant Retrograde Orbit (LDRO).

The successful integration of GORE Aerospace Ethernet Cables into upcoming F-16 upgrade initiatives has been announced by W. L. Gore & Associates, (Gore). Gore’s new 10-gigabit cables exceed Cat6a electrical requirements by delivering reliable signal integrity with sufficient margin for high-speed data transmission over longer distances.

  Early in the morning of 1st September, 2016, NASA's SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory) caught both Earth and the moon passing in front of the sun.

  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.

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. 

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.

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.

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 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.

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.