The first trial of an Australian-developed technology has detected mysterious objects by sifting through signals from space like sand on a beach.
Astronomers and engineers at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, developed the specialized system, CRACO, for their ASKAP radio telescope to rapidly detect mysterious fast radio bursts and other space phenomena.
The new technology has now been put to the test by researchers led by the Curtin University node of the International Center for Radio Astronomy (ICRAR) in Western Australia.
Southwest Research Institute partnered with the Carnegie Institution for Science to perform laboratory experiments to better understand how Saturn’s moon Titan can maintain its unique nitrogen-rich atmosphere. Titan is the second largest moon in our solar system and the only one that has a significant atmosphere.
“While just 40% the diameter of the Earth, Titan has an atmosphere 1.5 times as dense as the Earth’s, even with a lower gravity,” said SwRI’s Dr. Kelly Miller, lead author of a paper about these findings published in the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. “Walking on the surface of Titan would feel a bit like scuba diving.”
The origin, age, and evolution of this atmosphere, which is roughly 95% nitrogen and 5% methane, has puzzled scientists since it was discovered in 1944.
A NASA astronaut captures the breathtaking sight of Maha Kumbh Mela from space, showcasing the world’s largest human gathering illuminated against the night sky.
Harnessing The Power Of The Crowd To Solve Important Problems — Steve Rader — Program Manager — Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation & Tournament Lab, NASA.
Steve Rader (https://www.nasa.gov/people/steve-rader /) serves as the Program Manager of NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI — https://www.nasa.gov/coeci/) and the NASA Tournament Lab (NTL — https://www.nasa.gov/general/nasa-tou…), which are working to infuse challenge and crowdsourcing innovation approaches at NASA and across the federal government. CoECI focuses on the study and use of curated, crowdsourcing communities that utilize prize and challenge-based methods to deliver innovative solutions for NASA and the U.S. government.
In 2015, Steve was named as one of 20 Challenge Mentors for U.S. Government Services Administration’s (GSA) Prizes and Challenges government-wide community of practice. Steve has worked with various projects and organizations to develop and execute over 100 different challenges. He speaks regularly about NASA’s work in crowd-based challenges and the future of work both publicly and internally to the NASA workforce to promote the use of open innovation tools.
Steve has a Mechanical Engineering degree from Rice University and has worked at NASA’s Johnson Space Center for 33 years. Prior to joining CoECI/NTL, Steve worked in mission control, flight software development for the Space Shuttle and International Space Station, command and control systems development for the X-38 (the experimental re-entry vehicle designed by NASA to research a possible emergency crew return vehicle), and led the Command, Control, Communications, \& Information (C3I) architecture definition for the Constellation Program.
NASA has outlined its final goals and objectives for low Earth orbit, aiming to expand the use of space and advance microgravity research, technology, and exploration for everyone’s benefit. The agency’s Low Earth Orbit Microgravity Strategy, developed with input from various stakeholders, will guide efforts to sustain a continuous human presence in orbit, boost economic opportunities, and strengthen global partnerships.
The Einstein Probe is revolutionizing our view of the distant X-ray universe, offering an unprecedented look at some of the most powerful explosions in space.
Just under three months after its launch, the spacecraft has already made a groundbreaking discovery — an enigmatic burst of X-rays that could challenge what we thought we knew about gamma-ray bursts. This unexpected find hints at the possibility of reshaping our understanding of these extraordinary cosmic events and unlocking new secrets of the universe.
An automated system could potentially monitor real-time images of coronal loop brightness shifts from the Solar Dynamics Observatory, thus enabling scientists to issue timely alerts.
“We could build on this and come up with a well-tested and, ideally, simpler indicator ready for the leap from research to operations,” said Vadim Uritsky, an expert in space physics at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and Catholic University in Washington D.C.
The discovery of flickering coronal loops as a precursor to solar flares opens up transformative possibilities in both research and technology.
