Science, Space, & Robotics - Page 78

The James Webb Space Telescope is slated to unlock the universe to researchers with powerful instruments capable of looking further back in time than ever before.

A new report published in Nature last Friday estimates that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be slapped by at least one meteorite per month for the rest of its life. Notably, NASA stated in early June that its next-generation space telescope was struck by a micrometeorite in May, and that the impact didn't cause any significant damage. However, over time NASA estimates that micrometeorite impacts will reduce the total lifespan on if the observatory.

So far, Webb has been smacked by five micrometeorites, with the fifth being the most recent and the largest. When Webb was being designed, engineers knew the large observatory would be prone to fast-moving dust particles impacting the mirrors, which is why they took a large amount of time testing how much Webb's mirrors could endure micrometeorite impacts.

NASA has explained that one of the asteroids left over from the formation of the solar system isn't what it appears to be.

Asteroid Bennu is a relic from the formation of the solar system, and is expected to hold many clues about the history of the solar system, ancient life, and more. With the aforementioned goals in mind, NASA launched its OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to collect a sample from the asteroid, and it was successfully acquired in October 2020 when it briefly landed on the asteroid's surface.

NASA explains that it didn't expect Bennu's surface to be so loosely packed, and according to a recent blog post on NASA's website, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft would have sunk into Bennu if the spacecraft didn't fire its thrusters immediately after it collected the sample. According to Dante Lauretta, principal investigator of OSIRIS-REx, "our expectations about the asteroid's surface were completely wrong". The space agency says a good way to think about what it would be like to walk on the surface of Bennu is to imagine walking in a plastic ball pit.

A study on the creature titled "A three-eyed radiodont with fossilized neuroanatomy informs the origin of the arthropod head and segmentation" has been published in the journal Current Biology.

Researchers from the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto, Canada, discovered a collection of fossils from the Burgess Shale dating back 506 million years, including "incredibly well preserved" ones of the extinct Stanleycaris hirpex, a kind of arthropod known as a radiodont. The S. hirpex was an ancient marine predator, measuring no more than 20 centimeters (~7.8 inches), existing when few animals grew larger, making it rather formidable.

The fossil collection includes 84 S. hirpex with the brain and nerves intact, showing that the brain of the Stanleycaris was made up of two segments, called the protocerebrum and deutocerebrum, which connect to the eyes and front claws, respectively. This differs radically from present-day arthropods like insects, which have a brain comprising three segments: the protocerebrum, deutocerebrum, and tritocerebrum. Stanleycaris also had a central, third eye on its head between its two stalked eyes, differentiating it from any other known radiodont.

NASA has issued a statement in response to Russia using the International Space Station (ISS) to spread 'anti-Ukraine propaganda.'

On Monday, July 4th, 2022, Russia's space agency Roscosmos shared images of three of its cosmonauts aboard the space station posing with flags representing Russian-backed breakaway states in the Donbas region of Ukraine. This immediately prompted strong responses from retired astronauts and the multiple space agencies involved in the ISS.

Josef Aschbacher, the European Space Agency's (ESA) director-general, also rebuked Roscosmos, taking to Twitter on July 8th. Additionally, the Canadian Space Agency released a statement on July 8th in response to the situation, reading "The International Space Station partners continue to work together to advance space science and technology for the benefit of all humanity. That said, the Canadian Space Agency joins NASA in rebuking Russia for using the International Space Station, a beacon of peaceful cooperation, for political purposes to support its illegal war against Ukraine."

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Senseable City Lab (SCL) has unveiled a new concept its calling "space bubbles."

Space bubbles would be a form of geoengineering, also known as climate engineering, but not one that focuses directly on Earth-bound systems that could be manipulated to alter the climate, as these pose "tremendous risks to our living ecosystem." Instead, the SCL has conceived of a space-based solution, noting that if we could deflect 1.8% of solar radiation before it hits Earth, "we could fully reverse today's global warming."

The SCL team has tested thin-film structures in its lab, inspired by the work of Roger Angel, who first proposed using them in outer space. The SCL solution would be manufactured in space, easily deployable, and reversible. The ideal position would be the Lagrangian Point between the Earth and the Sun, known as L₁. At this point, the Sun's and the Earth's gravitational influence on an object effectively cancel out, and the object can stay at that same relative position with limited corrections.

Google Earth has revealed the construction of a new system at the Russian Ministry of Defense's Krona space object recognition station.

An extensive investigation published by The Space Review using satellite imagery, as well as Russian financial documents and industrial contracts, uncovered the "strong evidence" for the development of an anti-satellite weapon (ASAT) laser system at the Krona facility. The laser system is called Kalina and will be able to target foreign imaging satellites' optical systems, effectively blinding them as they fly over Russian territory.

The intended purpose of the Kalina system is "electro-optical warfare." It would permanently blind satellites, in contrast to a Russian mobile laser "dazzler" called Peresvet, which temporarily blinds satellites. The Kalina project first began in 2011 but was delayed multiple times. However, it appears to be finally making significant progress.

A study on the entangled atoms titled "Entangling single atoms over 33 km telecom fibre" has been published in the journal Nature.

Researchers from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) in Germany have connected two atoms via quantum entanglement while separated by 33 kilometers (20.5 miles) of fiber optic cable. Quantum entanglement allows one to observe a particle in an entangled system, and instantaneously be able to derive information about the state of the entangled particle, regardless of distance.

The LMU team entangled two rubidium atoms kept in two different buildings 700 meters (2,297 feet) apart on the LMU campus, making up the 33-kilometer distance with extra spooled cable along the way. A laser pulse was used to excite both atoms, giving them more energy that is then released in the form of a photon, which is entangled with the atom that created it.

William Sachiti has acquired a large, decommissioned AMES Type 84 radar unit from an abandoned Royal Air Force (RAF) radar station.

The British entrepreneur and roboticist created a thread on Reddit's /r/electronics subreddit seeking advice on reviving the Cold-War-era technology, after living and working in RAF station for about three months. Sachiti initially posted anonymously, but was identified by users using the knowledge that only five Type 84s were ever built in Britain, and a May 2022 news story about Sachiti buying the radar station.

When queried by a user as to why he bought the Type 84, Sachiti replied with "Because I convinced myself it may be good fun to use to attempt to find UFOs?" Though it was said somewhat in jest, users have reached out to Sachiti about using the unit in the search for UFOs, as well as others who want to scan the Moon and more. The Type 84 is on the National Heritage List for England, and cannot be demolished due to its historical value.

A study on the pill titled "Chronic Uptake of A Probiotic Nutritional Supplement (AB001) Inhibits Absorption of Ethylalcohol in the Intestine Tract - Results from a Randomized Double-blind Crossover Study" has been published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolic Insights.

Myrkl's "pre-drinking pill that works" is a probiotic supplement containing two bacteria; Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus coagulans. The bacteria naturally break down alcohol to produce carbon dioxide and water, and the pill delivers them in an acid-resistant capsule, so they make their way past the stomach and to the intestine to break down alcohol, as this is where the majority of alcohol makes its way into your bloodstream.

Myrkl claims the pill allows someone to break down 70% of consumed alcohol after one hour. However, reducing the amount of alcohol absorbed by the body comes with the trade-off of preventing the sought-after effects of alcohol, such as enjoyment and disinhibition. Dehydration is the main driving factor of a hangover, which is lessened by absorbing less alcohol. Nevertheless, direct effects of alcohol on the stomach, such as nausea, can still be an issue.

A study on the launcher titled "An Explosively Driven Launcher Capable of 10 km/s Projectile Velocities" has been accepted for publication into the journal Shock Waves.

Engineers from McGill University and the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) have created what they call the Implosion-Driven Launcher (IDL), capable of firing magnesium projectiles at up to 10 kilometers per second (36,000 kilometers per hour, 22,370 miles per hour). The launcher is designed to simulate the damage small space debris particles could inflict upon spacecraft like satellites and future space stations.This clip shows the IDL projectile and collision in action.

According to the European Space Agency's Space Debris Office (SDO), about 31,630 debris objects orbiting the Earth are tracked by various networks. However, these make up part of the estimated 36,500 objects spanning at least 10 centimeters (~4 inches) in diameter and don't account for the estimated 1 million space debris objects measuring 1-10 centimeters or 130 million objects measuring 1 millimeter to 1 centimeter.

A new Department of Defense (DoD) project involves high-altitude balloons to help protect the United States from weapons developed by China and Russia.

The high-altitude balloons are planned to operate in the stratosphere at between 60,000 feet (18,288 meters) and 90,000 feet (27,432 meters). They would join the Pentagon's surveillance network, where they could track things like hypersonic missiles. Approximately $3.8 million has been funneled toward balloon projects in the past two years by the Pentagon, which aims to ramp that number up to $27.1 for the 2023 fiscal year.

While the U.S. has been testing its hypersonic missiles lately, both China and Russia have completed their own tests recently. In August 2021, China launched a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile, while Russia claims to have fired a hypersonic missile to attack Ukraine in March 2022, signifying hypersonic missiles' first use in combat.

The International Space Station (ISS) has successfully ejected trash from an airlock for the first time.

The Bishop Airlock aboard the station was built by Nanoracks and was used to test Nanoracks' new orbital waste-disposal technology on July 2nd, 2022, at 7:05 PM Central Time. The test saw approximately 172 pounds (78 kilograms) of trash jettisoned toward Earth. Contained inside the "specially designed waste container" was foam, packing materials, hygiene products, office supplies, clothing, and more, which will burn up in the atmosphere upon re-entry.

The Nanoracks waste container can be packed full of up to 600 pounds (272 kilograms) of trash and is an alternative method of waste disposal for the space station to the currently used Cygnus cargo vehicle. The Cygnus docks at the space station to be packed with months' worth of accumulated trash before it leaves the space station to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and burn away.

A study on the cloned mice titled "Healthy cloned offspring derived from freeze-dried somatic cells" has been published in the journal Nature Communications.

Researchers from the University of Yamanashi in Japan have successfully cloned mice that retain the ability to breed, created from freeze-dried somatic cells, cells from the body that are not sperm or eggs. The freeze-dried cells are a cheaper and more reliable alternative to DNA for cloning, as storing DNA is expensive and requires unreliable ultra-low temperatures. However, the freeze-dried cells can be stored at only -30°C (-22°F) and remain viable for nine months.

The freeze-drying process kills the cells, though researchers could still transfer the nucleus, where the DNA is stored, from the frozen, dead cells into non-frozen egg cells. This produced mice embryos that developed into cloned mice with a 0.2-5.4% success rate, creating identical mice to those from which the cells were sourced. Three cloned males and nine cloned females were then bred together, resulting in every female delivering a litter.

SpaceX has showcased the power of Starlink by displaying the massive increase in bandwidth quality livestream viewers get when watching the company's rocket launches/landings.

SpaceX is moving forward with Starlink's full rollout into various use cases such as boats, planes, ships, and drone ships that are out at sea, providing rockets with landing locations. Elon Musk's company took to its Twitter account to tout some of the best qualities of Starlink, such as its ability to withstand extreme cold, heat, hail, sleet, heavy rain, and strong winds while also being "rugged enough to withstand rocket landings".

Some Twitter users misinterpreted the wording used by SpaceX, and, to be completely honest, SpaceX probably could have made their message a lot more clearer by stating that Starlink is providing a much more stable internet connection. Starlink also has a service latency of 50 milliseconds, which is a massive improvement on the 1-2 second delay on older systems. Furthermore, the satellite internet service increased download throughput on drone ships to 40Mb/s, which gives enough bandwidth for much more detailed image.

A photographer has used an ultra macro lens to take photographs of ants, showcasing a close-up image of their faces.

The photographer, Joshua Coogler, got into contact with PetaPixel regarding the selection of newly released images and explained that they were taken using a Laowa 25mm Ultra Macro lens on a Nikon D75000. Notably, Coogler explained that he used a macro rail that moves the camera very slowly, taking a picture every time it has shifted position.

Coogler explained to the publication that to get one image of a subject, he may have to take anywhere between 30 to more than 300 images as all of the images are stacked through a process called focus stacking. Essentially, when the photo is taken, only a small strip of area is in focus, but the area is extremely detailed. Coogler took multiple images of the ant face and stacked all of these highly detailed areas on top of each other to form a complete image, hence the impeccable detail in the pictures below.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has taken to his personal Twitter account to reveal that Starlink is now available for boats.

SpaceX is moving forward with Starlink becoming available to trains, RVs, planes, and ships, with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announcing that the satellite internet service is now available for boats. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently approved SpaceX to bring Starlink internet to the aforementioned modes of transportation, specifically planes, with SpaceX already entering into deals with airlines for Starlink internet service across a fleet of jets.

Musk has said in the past that the Starlink internet connection for moving vehicles such as cruise ships and planes "does work", but isn't working at an efficient enough speed to be called reliable. Now, SpaceX has revealed Starlink Maritime, which will provide buyers with high-speed, low-latency internet with speeds of up to 350 Mbps. The service will be available to "merchant vessels to oil rigs to premium yachts".

The world's richest individual, Elon Musk, has said that there are far too many people under the "illusion" that Earth is overpopulated.

Elon Musk has taken to Twitter, once again, to shine a spotlight on declining birthrates across - a stance the Tesla CEO has taken publicly for many years now. It was just in May Musk said on stage that the biggest issue that the population will face will be "population collapse", and then reiterated that the speed at which the population will decrease will drastically speed up to the point of "accelerating collapse".

Online Musk has pointed out that official birthrate numbers for places such as the US are drastically low, and that the birthrate across the US has been below the "replacement" level for 50 years. A country being below the replacement level means that it hasn't produced enough babies to replace the previous generation.

Elon Musk has taken to his official Twitter account to state that he is doing his part to stop the collapse of civilization.

The tweets from the Tesla and SpaceX CEO come as he is caught between a revealing report from BusinessInsider that claims Musk had relations with Shivon Zilis, a top executive at Neuralink, and is the father of twins that were born in November. Neuralink, founded by Musk, who is also the co-CEO of the company, focuses on developing implantable brain-machine interfaces that are poised to bridge the gap between human interaction and technology.

Zillis is the director of operations and special projects at Neuralink, and neither responded to a request for comment from Insider. In the past, Musk has expressed concern for birthrates across the United States and other places around the world, with the world's richest man pointing to declining birthrates being the biggest threat to human civilization. Musk has backed up his stance on Twitter, stating that far too many people are under the illusion that Earth is overpopulated.

The drag sail was launched on a Long March 2nd rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest China on June 23rd, 2022.

The rocket was launched by China to deliver three remote sensing satellites into a low-Earth orbit (LEO) and has now successfully unfurled its drag sail, measuring 25 square meters (269 square feet) when opened completely. The sail is only one-tenth the width of human hair and is designed to slow the rocket's final stage, weighing 300 kilograms (661 pounds), as it orbits Earth following the deployment of its satellite payload.

As it has remained in space along with the satellites it launched, despite serving no additional purpose, it has joined the estimated one billion pieces of space debris floating in Earth's orbit. To lessen its contributions to the growing problem, China has equipped the first-ever rocket with a drag sail so that it will return to Earth sooner than if it did not have the sail.

The asteroids were only discovered on Monday, July 4th, 2022, about two days before they had close encounters with Earth.

The Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) at the Haleakala Observatory in Hawaii was responsible for identifying the two near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), classified as 2022 NE and 2022 NF. 2022 NE spans roughly 20 feet (~6 meters), about the size of a bus, while 2022 NF is a bit larger at around 23 feet (~7 meters).

2022 NE came within 84,000 miles (135,000 kilometers) of Earth on July 6th, and the following day at 14:00 UTC, 2022 NF came even closer, to within 55,000 miles (89,000 kilometers) from Earth, just 23% of the distance the Moon is from the Earth on average. Astronomer Gianluca Masi, the founder of The Virtual Telescope Project, livestreamed the event, observing it with a 17-inch PlaneWave telescope.