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Sep 8, 2021

NASA will finally launch the James Webb Space Telescope on December 18th

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, space

NASA’s long-delayed James Webb Space Telescope is close to entering service. The agency now plans to launch the telescope on December 18th, 2,021 just a few months after testing completed in late August. The hardware will reach orbit aboard an ESA-supplied Ariane 5 rocket lifting off from French Guiana. NASA still has to ship the telescope to the launchpad, although much of the rocket has already arrived.

The JWST was deemed complete in 2016 ahead of an expected 2018 launch, but faced a number of delays due to its elaborate construction. It wasn’t assembled until 2019, and factors like the COVID-19 pandemic further hindered NASA’s efforts. That’s not including earlier setbacks — development started in 1996 with an expected 2007 deployment, but the team scrapped much of its work and redesigned the equipment in 2005.

The telescope’s importance hasn’t changed. It’s considered the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. It includes a much larger mirror along with a focus on lower-frequency observations (particularly mid-infrared) that will help it detect early galaxies that even Hubble can’t find. That priority also helps explain some of its technical challenges. The JWST’s instruments will need to stay extremely cold (−370F) to avoid interference with infrared measurements, requiring both a large sunshield and an insertion near a Sun-Earth Lagrange point.

Sep 8, 2021

SpaceX Lifts Massive Starship Booster Onto Launchpad

Posted by in category: space travel

Time to light this candle.

Sep 8, 2021

Cold plasma could transform the sustainable farms of the future

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, food

Scientists have long been interested in plasma’s biological implications. In the late 19th century, the Finnish physicist Karl Selim Lemström observed that the width of growth rings in fir trees near the Arctic Circle followed the cycle of the aurora borealis, widening when the northern lights were strongest. He hypothesized that the light show somehow encouraged plant growth. To artificially emulate the northern lights, he placed a metal wire net over growing plants and ran a current through it. Under the right conditions, he reported, the treatment produced larger vegetable yields.

For decades, scientists have known that exposure to plasma can safely kill pathogenic bacteria, fungi and viruses. Small studies in animals also suggest that plasma can prompt the growth of blood vessels in skin. In his research, Reuter studies ways to harness these properties to inhibit new infections in wounds and expedite healing or treat other skin conditions. But more recently, he and other physicists have been working on ways to use the power of plasma to improve food production.

Experiments conducted in the last decade or so have tested a mix of ways to apply plasma to seeds, seedlings, crops and fields. These include plasma generated using noble gases, as well as plasma generated from air. In some cases, plasma is directly applied through plasma “jets” that stream over the seeds or plants. Another approach uses plasma-treated water that can do double duty: irrigation and fertilization. Some studies have reported a range of benefits, from helping plants grow faster and bigger to resisting pests.

Sep 8, 2021

SpaceX, NASA targeting April 15 for launch of Crew-4 mission to space station

Posted by in category: space travel

Crew-4 will carry four astronauts to the station for a six-month stay.


SpaceX and NASA are targeting April 15 2022, for the launch of the Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station, agency officials announced yesterday (Sept. 7).

Sep 8, 2021

Scientists create artificial cells that mimic living cells’ ability to capture, process, and expel material

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, robotics/AI

Researchers have developed artificial cell-like structures using inorganic matter that autonomously ingest, process, and push out material—recreating an essential function of living cells.

Their article, published in Nature, provides a blueprint for creating “cell mimics,” with potential applications ranging from to environmental science.

A fundamental function of living is their ability to harvest energy from the environment to pump molecules in and out of their systems. When energy is used to move these molecules from areas of lower concentration to areas of higher concentration, the process is called active transport. Active transport allows cells to take in necessary molecules like glucose or amino acids, store energy, and extract waste.

Sep 8, 2021

SpaceX wins contract to launch Yahsat’s Thuraya 4-NGS satellite

Posted by in category: satellites

Updated 2:45 p.m. Eastern clarify selection process.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Yahsat has selected SpaceX to launch its next-generation Thuraya mobile connectivity satellite in 2,023 the companies announced Sept. 8.

A Falcon 9 will launch the Thuraya 4-NGS satellite, being built by Airbus Defence and Space for UAE-based Yahsat, in the second half of 2023. The companies did not disclose terms of the launch contract.

Sep 8, 2021

Rocket Lab signs five-launch deal with European Internet of Things satellite company Kinéis

Posted by in categories: internet, satellites

Rocket Lab signed a five-launch contract with European satellite data company Kinéis. The deal adds to the space company’s backlog.

Sep 8, 2021

Isar Aerospace to launch OroraTech wildfire monitoring cubesat constellation

Posted by in category: futurism

German launch startup Isar Aerospace has signed a contract with OroraTech to launch the company’s wildfire-monitoring cubesat constellation.


JOHANNESBURG — German launch startup Isar Aerospace has signed a contract with OroraTech to launch the company’s wildfire monitoring cubesat constellation.

Isar Aerospace is developing its two-stage Spectrum rocket to launch payloads of up to 700 kilograms to sun-synchronous orbit. The maiden flight of Spectrum is currently slated for the second half of 2022.

Continue reading “Isar Aerospace to launch OroraTech wildfire monitoring cubesat constellation” »

Sep 8, 2021

One antibody stops all strains of COVID-19 from infecting cells

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

A newly discovered antibody was able to neutralize not only all strains of COVID-19, but other coronaviruses known to cause respiratory infections in humans — a potential silver bullet for a whole class of deadly, flu-like viruses.

Mutant viruses: As viruses spread, they undergo tiny genetic mutations, and when we find a unique version of the virus, we call it a new strain.

Occasionally, new strains appear that can spread more easily, evade the immune system, or cause more severe disease.

Sep 8, 2021

SpaceX Starship: Incredible render shows how Mars rocket design is evolving

Posted by in category: space travel

SpaceX’s under-development rocket is set to soar, and a new render shows how the ship will look with the booster attached.