Science, Space, & Robotics - Page 156

It seemed that under President Donald J. Trump the world was a much safer place, especially as he made historic peace deals with North Korea -- but now? Now, things are getting worse.

During the recent 17th NATO conference on arms control and weapons of mass destruction, North Atlantic Treaty Organisations (NATO) Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg explained that North Korea was in violation of the arms control rules and advancing nuclear capabilities.

Stoltenberg said that North Korea is "ignoring or breaking the global rules" and "spreading dangerous technology". He continued: "NATO's aim is a world free of nuclear weapons. And we are ready to take further steps to create the conditions for nuclear disarmament negotiations. But any meaningful disarmament must be balanced and verifiable".

The Nazis had over 1000 cubes of uranium during the mid-1940s and their experimentations with the first weapons of mass destruction... but most of them are all gone -- in fact, all but 14 remain.

Researchers are now trying to find the remaining Nazi uranium cubes, with Tim Koeth and Miriam Hiebert hunting them down. Hiebert, a historian and materials scientist, told Business Insider: "Marie Curie's granddaughter has one. She uses it as a doorstop".

As for the cubes themselves, researchers believe there are just 14 out of more than 1000 used during Nazi Germany's experiments with nuclear weapons. 600 of these Nazi uranium cubes were captured, and shipped over to the US back in the 40s -- but after they reached US shores, no one knows where they went.

One of Starlink's satellites have dropped out of orbit, and it is currently hurtling towards the planet and has re-entered Earth's atmosphere. The UK Space Agency has said that there is a "low chance it may burn up over the UK very shortly".

The UK Space Agency tweeted: "We are monitoring its re-entry together with @DefenceHQ, and there is no expectation the re-entry will cause any damage. Due to the varying input data, natural forces and associated observation error, there are always high levels of uncertainty when performing re-entry predictions on any satellite".

"Today, a Starlink-1855 satellite re-entered the Earth's atmosphere. There is a chance it will re-enter over the UK, and you might be able to spot the satellite as it burns up. Starlink has a fantastic track record or orchestrating safe and reliable re-entries. We do not expect the return of the satellite to cause any damage. Still the UK Space Agency and the Ministry of Defence continually monitor and assess the re-entries of satellite and debris and any risk to British territories through our joined Space Surveillance and Tracking capabilities".

Anduril Industries has just secured a $5.2 million contract with the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) Strategic Command's Innovation Hub (jHub) and supply it with advanced, multi-domain, integrated force protection technology.

The military contract is part of TALOS, a program the MOD is pushing to force a defense-wide push into integrated command and control. Anduril will supply its technology for base defense, protecting personnel, and infrastructure from a "rapid evolving set of threats".

Oculus founder Palmer Luckey is behind Anduril Industries, with Anduril's technology providing alerrts to operators when threats are detected from ground intrusion or unmanned aerial systems. All of Anduril's technologies and products will be used under TALOS, including Sentry Towers, ground sensors, Ghost 4 Drones, and the Lattice AI operating system.

Satellites have captured some images of an oil spill that has happened in the Gulf of Mexico caused by Hurricane Ida.

On August 29, Hurricane Ida reached land close to Port Fourchon, Louisiana, and caused destruction to almost everything that came in its path. The hurricane came with 150 mph winds, large amounts of rainfall that eventuated into widespread flooding and many storms. Now it has been discovered that Hurricane Ida has also caused an oil spill in the ocean, as divers have identified a ruptured valve 2 miles south of Port Fourchon.

Satellites have been used to capture the size of the spill, and officials are estimating that it at least stretches 10 miles. The oil spill has remained out at sea and hasn't affected the Louisana shoreline. Additionally, crews are already doing what they can to reduce the spill, and luckily the pipe that is ruptured is in relatively shallow water of about 34 feet. If you are interested in reading more about this story, check out this link here.

NASA has posted a new video to its YouTube channel titled "We Asked a NASA Scientist - Do Aliens Exist?". Here's the answer.

NASA has posted a new video as a part of its "We Asked a NASA Scientist" series where the space agency will pose a popular question to a NASA scientist in their respective field and post their answer. In the above video Dr. Lindsay Hays, a NASA astrobiologist, was asked if aliens exist, to which she says that "we have not yet discovered life on any other planet," adding "we haven't seen any scientifically supported evidence for any extraterrestrial life".

However, Dr. Lindsay also says that doesn't mean we will never find life. The astrobiologist goes on to say that almost everywhere we have looked on Earth, we have found tiny microbial life, the simplest of life forms, and that it's very possible that other planets or even moons could have these sample simple life forms if the environmental conditions make that possible. NASA is currently searching for past signs of microbial life on Mars with the Perseverance rover.

Nearly half a million gallons of water used in 60 seconds seems quite ridiculous, but what if it were possible that it was necessary?

During a rocket launch, NASA will use nearly half a million gallons of water for more reasons than just cooling down surfaces that are heated by the launch. As Interesting Engineering explains in the above video, NASA was posed with the problem of sound waves caused by the launch being initiated damaging the technology onboard.

As a relatively cost-effective solution, the space agency uses water as a medium for the sound wave vibrations to travel through, reducing the overall decibels of the launch. NASA's water system is capable of releasing 450,000 gallons of water in just 60 seconds, which is enough water to supply 1,000 homes for six days. For more information on this story, check out this link here.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has snapped some brand new images of an asteroid that is shaped like a "dog-bone".

A team of astronomers has used the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope to observe the asteroid and have published their findings in Astronomy & Astrophysics. The asteroid is officially named Kleopatra, and according to Franck Marchis, the lead author of the study, the asteroid is "truly a unique body in our Solar System."

These images taken by the Very Large Telescope are the most detailed images taken of Kleopatra to date, and the team of astronomers believes that Kleopatra's uniqueness will push the human understanding of the solar system. Using precise measurements, the team was able to create these 3D images, allowing for more research to be done on the object and the two moons that orbit it. For more information on this story, check out this link here.

The International Space Station (ISS) has many uses, and one of them is to observe and measure Earth from above.

Astronauts aboard the ISS have managed to capture some incredible images of a hurricane rolling over the Atlantic Ocean on the weekend. The hurricane is named Hurricane Larry, and according to NASA astronaut Megan McArthur who is stationed on the ISS, "From our viewpoint on ISS, it looks much larger than Ida." Referencing Hurricane Ida that has caused massive destruction throughout southern America, more on that here.

As for Hurricane Larry, officials have said that it's a Category 3 hurricane that brings 115 mph winds. According to the National Hurricane Center, Larry isn't expected to reach land, but it will be ushering in a tropical storm for Bermuda this week as it makes its way close to the island. McArthur tweeted the following, "Hoping this one doesn't make landfall." If you are interested in reading more about Hurricane Larry, check out this link here.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have conducted a disco party with some plants that are also aboard the floating laboratory.

The news comes from French astronaut Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency, who posted to his personal Twitter account with a GIF that shows plants being blasted with lights projecting multiple colors. Pesquet jokingly says in the caption of the post, "Saturday night disco! I may or may not have found the settings to program the LED lighting of our space greenhouse."

So, what are the astronauts actually doing if it isn't a disco? Astronauts aboard the ISS are experimenting with microgravity and how it affects things such as plant growth, bone density, etc. In this instance, astronauts are observing plant growth aboard the ISS to assess if nutritional value is influenced by microgravity. As for the different light colors, astronauts use the colors to see which plants respond to different light wavelengths.

The highly anticipated James Webb Space Telescope has just received a delay from NASA and the European Space Agency.

The James Webb Space Telescope is no stranger to delays, as it has been suffering from them since construction on the telescope began in the 1990s. Now, NASA partnered with the European Space Agency (ESA) has announced that the launch date for the Hubble replacement has been postponed to December 18.

According to Gunther Hasinger, ESA's director of science, who announced in a statement, "We now know the day that thousands of people have been working towards for many years, and that millions around the world are looking forward to. Webb and its Ariane 5 launch vehicle are ready, thanks to the excellent work across all mission partners. We are looking forward to seeing the final preparations for launch at Europe's Spaceport."

Sometimes all you want to do is just get away from people and be by yourself. This is a perfectly normal feeling as humans are both pack animals and solitary animals.

Spending a few hours reading a book or watching a movie by yourself is something most people would decide to do if they wanted some time to themselves. But if that isn't enough for you, there is another option available. An entire island. The island is located in the Isle of Carn Deas on the west coast of Scotland and is currently on the market for $68,900.

The island is 22-acres and is uninhabited besides the wildlife that is present all around it. Wildlife includes porpoises, dolphins, whales, and basking sharks, according to the Goldcrest Land & Forestry Group. Additionally, the island features cliffs, a beach, and due to the surrounding water, residents will be able to enjoy a variety of different water sports. For more information on this island, check out this link here.

A meteor has been caught on video soaring through the night sky, and ask it passes overhead, it can be seen burning up.

The footage comes from a webcam owned by Solent Ships in Southampton, England, and shows a meteor entering the frame at the top left. As the meteor plummets down towards it's exposed to our atmosphere and air friction, which causes it to erupt into a fiery ball. Luckily, most meteors that enter Earth's atmosphere burn up before they can reach the ground.

The meteor was recorded down to have passed Southampton on Sunday, September 5. In other space news, a robot named CIMON is being brought back to life aboard the International Space Station. Additionally, NASA has admitted that it doesn't have a plan if a UFO actually turned out to be alien life forms, more on that story here. Lastly, a "potentially hazardous" meteor is headed towards Earth, check that out here.

A rather powerful M7.0 earthquake has hit southwest Mexico, near the beach resort of Acapulco, and lighting up the sky red and blue. Check it out:

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck 2.5 miles (4km) east-northeast of Los Organos de San Agustin about 8 miles from the Pacific Coast beach resort city of Acapulco. There were at least 92 aftershocks recorded and set alarms off in Mexico City before the ground started rumbling.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration initially issued a tsunami warning but it was called off in the end. The earthquake saw 1.6 million people plunged into darkness, knocking down electricity throughout Mexico City and through 4 states.

A team of researchers has achieved what is being described as a "breakthrough" in quantum computing.

The achievement comes from a team of researchers at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science, who have been able to entangle a three-qubit array in silicon with high accuracy of predicting the state the qubit is in. For those that don't know, instead of using bits to make calculations and perform tasks like a typical computer does, quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits.

The device the researchers created used three very small blobs of silicon called quantum dots, and each of these dots can hold one electron. The direction of the spin of the electron encodes the qubit. With that in mind, it should be noted that a "Two-qubit operation is good enough to perform fundamental logical calculations. But a three-qubit system is the minimum unit for scaling up and implementing error correction", explains Tarucha.

A French astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has snapped an incredible image of the edge of Earth.

The French astronaut is named Thomas Pesquet, who's an engineer with the European Space Agency (ESA) that arrived on the station back in April. During Pesquet's stay aboard the ISS, he has taken many breathtaking images that have been posted to his personal Twitter account that has acquired more than 1.2 million followers.

The above image was taken from the Cupola on the ISS, which is the Italian word for "dome". The Cupola is an ESA-built observatory module aboard the ISS, and this is where Pesquet snapped two phenomenal images of Earth's edge. Pesquet said in the image's caption, "Not only do you as a photographer have to stay extremely still holding the camera, but also the Space Station moves so fast that there will be some motion anyway." For reference, the ISS only takes 90 minutes to complete an orbit of Earth as it's traveling at 17,000 miles per hour.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) will be bringing a robot named CIMON back to life, as it has a new purpose.

CIMON-2 stands for "Crew Interactive Mobile Companion", and has previously worked with two European astronauts on missions. The robot has been in storage since Luca Parmitano departed the ISS in February 2020, but it recently received a software upgrade that gives it the ability to perform more complex tasks, allowing it to provide astronauts with more assistance.

Till Eisenberg, the CIMON project manager at Airbus who partnered with the German Aerospace Centre DLR and the LMU University in Munich, said, "The sphere is just the front end. All the voice recognition and artificial intelligence happens on Earth at an IBM data center in Frankfurt, Germany. The signal from CIMON has to travel through satellites and ground stations to the data centre and back. We focused on improving the robustness of this connection to prevent disruptions."

A billionaire has unveiled plans to construct a new eco-friendly city somewhere in a United States desert.

The new city is named Telosa, and the plans for its construction have been unveiled by billionaire Marc Lore, who has outlined his plan for a city that will be able to support 5 million people at the start. Lore has appointed a world-famous architect to design the city, and according to the plans, the city will span 150,000 acres, have eco-friendly architecture, sustainable energy production, and a drought-resistant water system.

The architecture firm behind the project, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) released some digital renders of the city, which show buildings covered in plant life and residents of the city enjoying open pollution-free spaces. Planners are currently tossing up between locations in Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Texas, and the Appalachian region. The entire project has been estimated to cost $400 billion, which Lore has yet to acquire. For more information on this story, check out this link here.

A new interview has revealed that if aliens actually came from an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO), or now more accurately named, an Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) doesn't have a plan.

The interview was conducted with PBS's "Firing Line" with former Senator and current NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who said that the space agency doesn't currently have a plan in place if a UFO encounter turns into an alien encounter. Nelson did say that the space agency is working with researchers and scientists exploring the possibility of alien life existing. The agency has also attempted to communicate with alien life by sending messages out into the cosmos.

Margaret Hoover asked Nelson the following question; "Does NASA have a plan for what it would do if a UAP turned out to be a space alien?" Nelson replied by saying, "No, but the first thing we'd want to do is find out is if it's friend or foe. But we're not to that point because we just don't know what this phenomenon is. I think that with all of those sightings that you referenced, there's something there. This is not an optical illusion or a radar blip that's a mistake. So we need to find out. When you talk to those Navy pilots, they're convinced because they saw it and they tracked it."

NASA has labeled an asteroid that is currently heading towards Earth as "potentially hazardous". However that doesn't mean it's going to hit the planet.

For an asteroid to be considered "potentially hazardous," it must be classified as a "Near-Earth Object" (NEO), and for an asteroid (or comet) to be a NEO, it needs to "approaches our planet less than 1.3 times the distance from Earth to the Sun", per NASA.

For another perspective on just how far away that is, the distance between Earth and the moon is around 240,000 miles, the distance between Earth and the Sun is 92,900,000 miles. As for the asteroid that is approaching Earth, 2021 NY1 is estimated to be between 427 and 984 feet in diameter, and it will come within 930,487 miles of Earth. The asteroid is moving at 21,000 miles per hour despite its large size and is expected to pass by our planet safely.