Science, Space, Health & Robotics News - Page 226

All the latest Science, Space, Health & Robotics news with plenty of coverage on space launches, discoveries, rockets & plenty more - Page 226.

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Nissan may put a vehicle on the Moon, lunar exploration rover unveiled

Jak Connor | Dec 6, 2021 3:35 AM CST

Nissan has recently unveiled its new lunar exploration vehicle that it has been working on with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Nissan may put a vehicle on the Moon, lunar exploration rover unveiled

The new prototype vehicle was unveiled last Thursday at the JAXA headquarters in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, and it features a sharp four-wheel design that has been equipped with motor control and e-4ORCE four-wheel-drive control technology. Since the surface of the Moon is covered in very fine sand, it can be quite difficult for vehicles attempting to drive on the surface to gain traction with the ground underneath them.

In the above video posted to the Nissan YouTube channel, Nissan demonstrates the difference between having its e-4ORCE technology-enabled versus having it disabled. From the video, we can see that the e-4ORCE technology can be a deciding factor when attempting to take a rover through difficult terrain, as it's designed to be a form of all-wheel precision driving that reacts to specific conditions. If you are interested in reading more about this story, check out this link here.

Continue reading: Nissan may put a vehicle on the Moon, lunar exploration rover unveiled (full post)

Thousands flee erupting volcano spewing big columns of deadly hot ash

Jak Connor | Dec 6, 2021 3:05 AM CST

On Saturday, December 4, Mount Semeru, the tallest volcano on the island of Java, began spewing out a large plume of volcanic ash.

Thousands flee erupting volcano spewing big columns of deadly hot ash

The deadly columns of volcanic ash drifted from the summit of the volcano high into the sky, with some of the surrounding villages being blanketed in thick ash. On top of the volcanic eruption, there was also a thunderstorm with heavy rainfall, which, when combined with the falling volcanic ash, creates lahars. The United States Geological Service says lahars are an Indonesian term, and describes them as "a moving lahar looks like a roiling slurry of wet concrete."

AccuWeather reports that at least 56 residents have been injured, at least 14 have died, and up to 60,000 people have been affected by the eruption. Deputy Regent of Lumajang, Indah Amperawati, said, "There were 41 residents who had burns due to hot lava who were evacuated at the Penanggal Health Center. We have also referred them to Bhayangkara Hospital and Suyoto Hospital." Reports indicate that the health center where most of the eruption victims are being transported is being overloaded with patients.

Continue reading: Thousands flee erupting volcano spewing big columns of deadly hot ash (full post)

Here's the chances of Elon Musk's Tesla crashing into Earth

Jak Connor | Dec 6, 2021 2:32 AM CST

A fun fact about Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is that he once sent a Tesla Roadster into orbit, and it's still flying around out in space.

Here's the chances of Elon Musk's Tesla crashing into Earth

On December 5, Musk Tweeted out a render of two Starship rockets attached to individual tower arms, stating that SpaceX "will soon make these real". Following up on that Tweet, Musk wrote, "Starships to ♥️ Mars ♥️", to which Pak replied, "Do you ship to Mars?". Musk replied by writing, "You betcha. My car is currently orbiting Mars".

Musk's off-the-cuff comment about his Roadster orbiting Mars was met by criticism from Harvard Professor, Jonathan McDowell, who works at the university's Center for Astrophysics, who wrote, "Well, no. It's orbiting the Sun, and occasionally passes the orbit of Mars. Not the same thing." McDowell followed up by posting a map that displays the orbits of the Roadster, Earth, and Mars around the Sun.

Continue reading: Here's the chances of Elon Musk's Tesla crashing into Earth (full post)

'Mystery house' photographed on far side of the Moon, rover on its way

Jak Connor | Dec 6, 2021 2:02 AM CST

What appears to be a cube-shaped object has been photographed on the horizon of the Moon, and now a lunar rover is on its way to check it out.

'Mystery house' photographed on far side of the Moon, rover on its way

China's Chang'e-4 lunar lander mission introduced the Yutu-2 rover to the lunar surface back in 2019, and since then, it has been exploring the barren landscape, relaying any valuable information back to China National Space Administration (CNSA). According to Andrew Jones, a journalist that covers China's space program for SpaceNews, the Yutu-2 rover is located in the Von Karman crater, and the cube-shaped object is on the northern horizon approximately 80 meters away from the rover.

Jones goes on to say that the cube-shaped object is being referred to as "mystery house", and that the next 2-3 lunar days will be spent bringing Yutu-2 closer to the object. For those speculating that the cube-shaped object is an alien house/obelisk, Jones says it's more likely that it's a large undiscovered boulder that's been created from an asteroid impact. If you are interested in reading more about this story, check out this link here.

Continue reading: 'Mystery house' photographed on far side of the Moon, rover on its way (full post)

Only total solar eclipse of 2021 photographed, relive the rare event

Jak Connor | Dec 6, 2021 1:34 AM CST

Over the weekend there was a the only total solar eclipse for the rest of the year, and while it wasn't visible to majority of people, individuals still managed to capture stunning photographs of it.

Only total solar eclipse of 2021 photographed, relive the rare event

(Image credit: Felipe Trueba/Imagen Chile/AFP via Getty Images)

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes in front of the Sun from a viewers perspective, and depending on your location at Earth at the time, can make quite the spectacle for photography. On Saturday, December 4, a total solar eclipse, which only happens when the Moon is close enough to Earth that it blocks out the entirety of the Sun, was expected to happen for two minutes in Antarctica.

Continue reading: Only total solar eclipse of 2021 photographed, relive the rare event (full post)

Here's how to see 2021's best comet, a once-in-a-lifetime sighting

Jak Connor | Dec 6, 2021 1:03 AM CST

A recently discovered comet is expected to make a close fly-by of Earth within the coming weeks, and it may even be visible to the unaided eye.

Here's how to see 2021's best comet, a once-in-a-lifetime sighting

Comet Leonard, or C/2021, will be making its closest approach to Earth on December 12, bringing it 22 million miles away from our planet, which is about 90 times farther away than the Moon. NASA says in the above video that comets are notoriously difficult to predict in terms of brightness/visibility, but Comet Leonard is predicted to be bright enough to be able to view it with binoculars. However, the possibility of it being visible to the unaided eye is still on the table as well.

EarthSky reports that Comet Leonard is "likely to be 2021's best comet, and its brightest comet by year's end". For the first two weeks of December, Leonard is visible in the sky in the east before sunrise, and according to NASA, it can be seen passing between the Big Dipper's handle and Arcturus. The space agency also states that the time of Leonard's closest approach to Earth will coincide with its approach to the horizon in the sky, which means that it will likely be brighter but more difficult to observe.

Continue reading: Here's how to see 2021's best comet, a once-in-a-lifetime sighting (full post)

This food delivery service will give you free Bitcoin when you order

Jak Connor | Dec 6, 2021 12:34 AM CST

A food delivery service has announced a new partnership with Bitcoin rewards app Lolli, where users will be rewarded Bitcoin when they order food.

This food delivery service will give you free Bitcoin when you order

On Wednesday, December 1, Lolli announced that it will be partnering with Grubhub to bring Bitcoin (BTC) rewards to the food delivery platform's hungry customer base. The announcement can be found on Lolli's website, where it states that Grubhub customers will be able to earn $1 in Bitcoin every time they order food through Grubhub. The press release states, "To earn on Grubhub orders, users must download Lolli's browser extension or app for iOS and activate Lolli on web or mobile before placing an order at Grubhub."

Users who sign up and complete their first order will receive $5 in Bitcoin. Once a user has reached $15 in confirmed Bitcoin rewards, that user will then be able to withdraw or send their Bitcoin to another virtual wallet. Lolli co-founder and CEO Alex Adelman said that partnerships such as this one is way Bitcoin can become a part of "everyday life", and that combining food delivery, which is a "ritual for many", with Bitcoin makes "Bitcoin a part of that ritual".

Continue reading: This food delivery service will give you free Bitcoin when you order (full post)

World's first living robots created, and they learned how to reproduce

Jak Connor | Dec 6, 2021 12:04 AM CST

Researchers have achieved something that sounds like the beginning of a science fiction movie - living robots that have learned to reproduce.

World's first living robots created, and they learned how to reproduce

Pac-Man-shaped xenobots gathering stem cells into piles, which will then mature into xenobot offspring.

A new study published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal PNAS has detailed a team of researchers using stem cells from the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) to create the first living robots called xenobots. Researchers from the University of Vermont, Tufts University and Harvard University's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering who created the living robots said that they have discovered a new form of biological reproduction called "kinetic replication".

Continue reading: World's first living robots created, and they learned how to reproduce (full post)

New lightweight precision robotic arm developed for space applications

Adam Hunt | Dec 4, 2021 3:30 AM CST

In a new paper published in Space: Science & Technology, a team of researchers have created a new lightweight robotic arm with precision controls.

New lightweight precision robotic arm developed for space applications

As missions in space increase in scope and variety, so to will the tools necessary to accomplish them. Robots are already used throughout space, but robotic arms used on Earth do not translate well to space. A flat plane relative to the ground enables Earth-bound robotic arms to articulate freely in a three-dimensional coordinate grid with relatively simple programming. However, with constantly changing environments in space, a robotic arm would struggle to orient itself correctly.

Researchers from the Harbin Institute of Technology's (HIT) School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation have developed a robotic arm with the ability to adjust its position and speed in real-time based on its environment. The arm weighs 9.23 kilograms (20 pounds) and can move almost a quarter of its weight.

Continue reading: New lightweight precision robotic arm developed for space applications (full post)

Single photons captured by researchers' new creation

Adam Hunt | Dec 4, 2021 2:30 AM CST

Researchers have found a way to trap a single photon in a cavity to aid in further research involving new quantum technologies, publishing their findings in Science Advances.

Single photons captured by researchers' new creation

Previously, trapping photons in a cavity has involved using materials with an extremely large optical nonlinearity. Adding one photon from a laser significantly alters that cavity's resonance frequency, preventing another photon from entering. For this mechanism to work, extremely large optical nonlinearities are needed in conjunction with very low dissipation, which is extremely difficult to achieve.

Professor Aashish Clerk from the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) at the University of Chicago, alongside graduate students Andrew Lingenfelter and David Roberts, devised a system with significantly weaker nonlinearity and two separate photon sources. With precise tuning, destructive interference between the two sources creates a "wall" that blocks photons from entering the cavity once the selected number has been captured.

Continue reading: Single photons captured by researchers' new creation (full post)