Aerospace & Defence
Practical steps for a manned mission to Mars
NASA hopes to send a manned mission to Mars in the mid-2030s. On a planet where temperatures can fall to -125ºC generating energy presents a key challenge and new techniques are about to be tested. The best equipment needs the people to use it, so resilience experiments are also under way. To tackle the challenge of energy generation, NASA will test two-meter high reactors, developed as part of the ‘Kilopower’ project, in th...
NASA's spacecraft to fly over Jupiter's great red spot
Only days after celebrating its first anniversary in Jupiter orbit, NASA's Juno spacecraft will fly directly over Jupiter's Great Red Spot, the gas giant's iconic, 10,000m wide (16,000km wide) storm. This will be humanity's first up-close and personal view of the gigantic feature - a storm monitored since 1830 and possibly existing for more than 350 years.
Asteroid deflection technique could prevent Earth impact
NASA has moved forward with a plan to develop a refrigerator-sized spacecraft capable of deflecting asteroids and preventing them from colliding with Earth. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, is being designed and would be built and managed by scientists at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. NASA approved a move from concept development to the preliminary design phase on June 23.
Nano material could protect astronauts from harmful radiation
Scientists at The Australian National University (ANU) have designed a new nano material that can reflect or transmit light on demand with temperature control, opening the door to technology that protects astronauts in space from harmful radiation. Lead researcher Dr Mohsen Rahmani from ANU said the material was so thin that hundreds of layers could fit on the tip of a needle and could be applied to any surface, including spacesuits.
Royal Aeronautical Society welcomes space sector boost
The Queen’s Speech on the 21st June 2017, confirmed the Government’s commitment to realising the full potential of the commercial space sector to the economy by including the Space Industry Bill in its legislative programme for the next two years.
Gecko-inspired robotic gripper cleans up space debris
Researchers combine gecko-inspired adhesives and a custom robotic gripper to create a device for grabbing space debris. They tested their gripper in multiple zero gravity settings, including the International Space Station. Right now, about 500,000 pieces of human-made debris are whizzing around space, orbiting our planet at speeds up to 17,500 miles per hour. This debris poses a threat to satellites, space vehicles and astronauts aboard tho...
Space research centre at the heart of RAF Henlow regeneration
A commercial deep sea to space research, training and test centre, called Blue Abyss, is in the middle of a multi-million pound regeneration vision to develop a science, innovation and technology park on part of a soon-to-close RAF base site in Bedfordshire.
LISA gravitational wave mission scheduled for 2034
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, aimed at detecting gravitational waves in space, has been approved by the European Space Agency at a meeting of its Science Programme Committee. After years of development and delays, the mission is now scheduled to go ahead in 2034.
ESA approves the design of the PLATO satellite
The European Space Agency (ESA) has approved the design of the PLATO satellite. Researchers and engineers at KU Leuven and the University of Liège (ULg) will be closely involved in the development. Plato is a space mission dedicated to hunting tens of thousands of Earth-like exoplanets revolving around nearby stars similar to our Sun. The launch is scheduled for 2026. PLATO will consist of 26 identical telescopes – each wit...
Exploration telepresence improves communication in space
When Apollo astronauts on the Moon spoke with Mission Control on Earth, there was a noticeable time gap between a statement from Tranquility Base and its immediate acknowledgment from Houston. The gap lasted almost three seconds, or ten times longer than human reaction times would account for. What was happening? The answer is simple: space. The Moon orbits far enough from Earth that light (and radio) take 1.3 seconds each way to travel the ...