Search results for "satellites"
Small asteroid flew safely past Earth
A small asteroid designated 2016 RB1 safely flew past Earth September 8th at 10:20am PDT (1:20pm EDT/17:20 UTC) at a distance of about 25,000 miles (40,000 kilometers, or just less than 1/10th the distance of Earth to the moon). Because the asteroid's orbit carried it below (or over) Earth's south pole, it did not pass within the orbits of communication or weather satellites.
Smart buoy for measuring water pollutants
All over the world, lakes, rivers, and coastal waters are threatened by high nutrient inputs. Nitrate or phosphates from waste-waters or fertilisers causes eutrophication. The consequence: Algae, in particular cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), grow uncontrollably and may release toxic substances.
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.
Latest simulations of wind power generation
There has been a massive boom in wind power capacity both in Europe and worldwide. In 2015 global installed capacity was around 350 GW, with 135 GW installed in Europe, distributed across some 87,000 wind turbines. Wind power now provides a bigger share (13%) of electricity than nuclear power stations.
Ultra-fast electric motor for satellites
Researchers from ETH Zurich (Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering) and the ETH spin-off Celeroton have developed an ultra-fast magnetically levitated electric motor for reaction wheels. The high speed of rotation allows intensive miniaturisation of the drive system, making it attractive for use in small satellites.
Satellites, radar and the electrical engineer
Since Sputnik 1 was launched by the Russians in 1957, more than 50 countries have joined the race to launch satellites into orbit from low-earth to geosynchronous orbit (260 to 22,240 miles from earth). Of the more than 3,500 satellites in earth’s orbit, about 1/3 are active while the rest are no longer operating. The business of launching satellites is evolving, however, and the numbers of operational satellites are set to increase by thou...
Solar cells combine two layers of sun-absorbing material
The cost of solar power is beginning to reach price parity with cheaper fossil fuel-based electricity in many parts of the world, yet the clean energy source still accounts for just slightly more than 1% of the world’s electricity mix.Solar, or photovoltaic (PV), cells, which convert sunlight into electrical energy, have a large role to play in boosting solar power generation globally.
Smaller satellites could improve reflected energy estimates
A team of small, shoebox-sized satellites, flying in formation around the Earth, could estimate the planet’s reflected energy with twice the accuracy of traditional monolith satellites, according to an MIT-led study published online in Acta Astronautica. If done right, such satellite swarms could also be cheaper to build, launch and maintain.
NASA-funded balloon mission begins fourth campaign
The BARREL team is at Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden, launching a series of six scientific payloads on miniature scientific balloons. The BARREL team launched the first balloon of this campaign – the fourth for BARREL – on Aug. 13, 2016. The NASA-funded BARREL – which stands for Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses – primarily measures X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere near the North and...
Optocouplers support satellites, spacecraft, and planetary rovers
A global provider of engineered electronics for performance critical applications,TT Electronics has announced the market introduction of its HCC100x series of radiation tolerant optocouplers. The devices are ideal for the isolation of electrical circuits within high-radiation deep spaceflight applications, including satellites, launch vehicles, space craft, and planetary rovers.