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A key objective of ongoing research rooted in molecular physics is to understand and precisely control chemical reactions at very low temperatures. At low temperatures, the chemical reactions between charged particles (i.e., ions) and molecules unfold with highly rotational-state-specific rate coefficients, meaning that the speed at which they proceed strongly depends on the rotational states of the involved molecules.

Researchers at ETH Zürich have recently introduced a new approach to control chemical reactions between ions and molecules at low temperatures, employing microwaves (i.e., with frequencies ranging from 300 MHz to 300 GHz). Their proposed scheme, outlined in a paper published in Physical Review Letters, entails the use of pulses to manipulate molecular rotational-state populations.

“Over the past 10 years, we have developed a method with which ion-molecule reactions can be studied at very low temperatures, below 10 K, corresponding to the conditions in in the , where these types of reactions play a key role,” Valentina Zhelyazkova, corresponding author of the paper, told Phys.org.

A crew of astronauts have become the first-ever people to orbit over Earth’s north and south poles and they have done so with an incredible view thanks to the cupola installed on their spacecraft.

The Fram2 mission launched onboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft that has a cupola module allowing the astronauts a 360-degree view of space and Earth. The glass dome is 2,000 square inches making it the largest single window ever flown to space. The window occupies the same space as the docking port meaning if it rendezvous with the International Space Station then the cupola won’t be equipped.

SpaceX shared a video (below) taken from the space window showing the Arctic polar region as well as the Antarctic polar region.

A new collaboration between Brown University and TU Delft has brought us closer to interstellar travel using light-powered sails. By combining ultra-thin, highly reflective materials with AI-optimized nanoscale design, researchers created a revolutionary lightsail that’s cheaper, faster to make.

NASA’s BioNutrients series of experiments is testing ways to use microorganisms to make nutrients that will be needed for human health during future long-duration deep space exploration missions.

Some vital nutrients lack the shelf-life needed to span multi-year human missions, such as a mission to Mars, and may need to be produced in space to support astronaut health. To meet this need, the BioNutrients project uses a biomanufacturing approach similar to making familiar fermented foods, such as yogurt. But these foods will also include specific types and amounts of nutrients that crews will be able to consume in the future.

The first experiment in the series, BioNutrients-1, set out to assess the five-year stability and performance of a hand-held system—called a production pack—that uses an engineered microorganism, yeast, to manufacture fresh vitamins on-demand and in space.

In a potential step toward sending small spacecraft to the stars, researchers have developed an ultra-thin, ultra-reflective membrane designed to ride a column of laser light to incredible speeds.

Since its launch in 1977, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft has traveled over 15 billion miles into deep space. That’s a long way—but it’s not even 1% of the distance to Alpha Centauri, the nearest star to the sun. If humans are going to send ships to the stars, space travel will have to get a lot faster.

One promising way to pick up that kind of speed is a “”—a thin, reflective membrane that can be pushed by light much the same way that wind pushes a sailboat. Lightsails have the potential to reduce flight time to nearby stars from several thousand years using current propulsion systems to perhaps just a decade or two.

🚀 Q: What key capabilities must SpaceX perfect for Earth-to-Earth transportation? A: SpaceX must master in-space engine relight, Mechazilla catch system landings, and re-entry with V2 upgrades including improved flaps and heat shields for extreme conditions.

🛬 Q: How many Starship landing pads is the US Air Force planning to build? A: The USAF plans to construct two landing pads on Johnston Island, with potential for more in the future, emphasizing goals of high launch frequencies and seamless point-to-point transport.

Everyone needs to see “Starship Troopers.” It’s just a great movie – we’re doing our part! Whether you’ve seen it a million times or are just curious what the hype’s about, we’ve got everything you need to know about this satirical sci-fi classic.

#StarshipTroopers #SciFi #Movies.

Things You Only Notice In Starship Troopers As An Adult | 0:00
Deleted Starship Trooper Scenes That You Never Knew Existed | 9:30
The Most Pause-Worthy Moments In Starship Troopers | 15:27
The Starship Troopers scene that means more than you think | 25:38
The Biggest Differences Between Starship Troopers And The Book | 30:02
What Starship Troopers Looks Like Without Special Effects | 43:26.

Visit Official Looper Website.
https://www.looper.com

Astrophysicists at the University of Colorado’s JILA, National Institute of Science and Technology, have conducted an experiment to produce benzene the way theories have predicted it is produced in interstellar space and found it did not produce any benzene. The research by G. S. Kocheril, C. Zagorec-Marks and H. J. Lewandowski is published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Research efforts in the 1990s led to theories suggesting that ion-molecule collisions could be one of the main ways that interstellar forms. Such theories are important for space research because it is believed that benzene is a precursor to the formation of interstellar , which are believed to hold cosmic carbon, which is important for many reasons but mainly because of the role it might have played in the development of carbon-based lifeforms.

Testing of theories that lead to the creation of benzene in has not been done before because of the difficulty in creating the conditions that exist in such an environment. In their paper, and during a speech at a recent symposium, the group stated that they had the equipment necessary to carry out such an experiment in their lab at JILA.

In 1994 Miguel Alcubierre was able to construct a valid solution to the equations of general relativity that enable a warp drive. But now we need to tackle the rest of relativity: How do we arrange matter and energy to make that particular configuration of spacetime possible?

Unfortunately for warp drives, that’s when we start running into trouble. In fact, right away, we run into three troubles. And these three troubles are called the energy conditions. Now, before I describe the energy conditions, I need to make a disclaimer. What I’m about to say are not iron laws of physics.

They are instead reasonable guesses as to how nature makes sense. General relativity is a machine. You put in various configurations of spacetime, various arrangements of matter and energy. You turn the handle and you learn how gravity works. General relativity on its own doesn’t tell you what’s real and what’s not.