Why scientists are making space data into sounds
NASA’s sonification programme translates cosmic data into sound, enhancing accessibility for the blind and low vision community and broadening engagement with astronomical discoveries.
SwRI scientists identify water molecules on asteroids for the first time
Southwest Research Institute scientists have utilised data from the retired Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) to make the groundbreaking discovery of water molecules on the surface of an asteroid, a finding that could enhance our understanding of water distribution in the solar system and its implications for life beyond Earth.
Model of SwRI-built spacecraft to be displayed in Smithsonian
From Southwest Research Institute 31/01/24 A model of a Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) microsatellite has been delivered to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington for an upcoming display. The CYGNSS mission is to improve tropical storm and hurricane forecasting. The constellation of eight microsatellites was designed, built and operated by […]
Mesmerising Dzhanibekov Effect
From Superinnovators 24/01/24 The Dzhanibekov Effect, also known as the tennis racket theorem, is a phenomenon in classical mechanics that occurs during the rotation of an object with three distinct momenta of inertia. When such an object, like a T-handle, wingnut or tennis racket, is tossed in the air with a spin around its intermediate […]
Airless: Hyper-deformable lunar wheel uses complex system of 192 mini cables
From Venturi 06/10/23. Released 19/06/23. Title by Superinnovators On Monday 19 June [2023], Venturi Group presented its latest invention at the international Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, France: a hyper-deformable lunar wheel. Venturi Lab designed and manufactured the wheel using materials it created. The Venturi wheel is a world first. A turning point in […]
Novel supersonic parachutes for Mars: Innovators model aerodynamics
From Beijing Institute of Technology Press Co., Ltd 07/09/23 The safe landing of the probe is one of the most difficult challenges in Mars exploration, and the Mars supersonic parachute is extremely important for this process. To date, all the successful Mars exploration missions have used disk-gap-band (DGB) parachutes. However, the DGB parachute with the […]
Space travel depletes red blood cells and bone, but bone marrow fat may come to the rescue
From The Ottawa Hospital 22/08/23 A study of 14 astronauts suggests that while space travel depletes red blood cells and bone, the body can eventually replenish them back on Earth with the help of fat stored in the bone marrow. The study, published in Nature Communications, has important implications for health in space and on […]
Moon birth supercomputer simulation
By Charles Carter, 06/10/22 Pioneers at NASA’s Ames Research Center have created a new high-resolution simulation which shows the Moon could have formed within hours of a collision between Earth and Mars-sized body Theia. Previous prevailing theories claimed that the Moon formed months or years after the collision and mostly from debris from Theia, with […]
NASA smash spacecraft into asteroid in planetary defense test
By Charles Carter, 27/09/22 Innovators at NASA have smashed their DART spacecraft into asteroid moonlet Dimorphos in the world’s first planetary defense test of asteroid deflection. They aim to prove that humanity can change the course of future asteroids that are headed for earth to avoid disaster, by intentionally hitting them with spacecraft. The team […]