Science

Boeing HorizonX Ventures backed El Segundo, California-based Morf3D in 2018 and again in 2019 SEOUL, South Korea — Japanese camera maker Nikon has acquired a controlling stake in U.S. startup Morf3D, an aerospace supplier that has produced 3D-printed metallic flight hardware for Boeing satellites and helicopters. The deal gives Tokyo-based Nikon a foothold in the

WASHINGTON — The White House released a first look at its budget proposal for fiscal year 2022 that includes an increase in funding for NASA, particularly Earth science and space technology programs. The 58-page budget document, released April 9, outlines the Biden administration discretionary spending priorities. It provides only high-level details, though, with a full

By Allison Kubo New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that in the last 1.1 Ma the Greenland Ice sheet melted at least once and reformed. The team found fossilized plants buried under 1 million years of snow based on the Camp Century Ice Core. The long core samples

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast looks at how new technologies can improve our health and how we perceive our surroundings. First up is Kostas Kostarelos of the UK’s University of Manchester, who talks about the exciting role that graphene can play in the development of medical devices that connect to the brain

WASHINGTON — The new chief executive of OneWeb says the company is still pursuing some kind of navigation capability for its broadband satellite constellation, although a full-fledged service may have to wait until a second-generation system. Neil Masterson, a former executive with Thomson Reuters who was named chief executive of OneWeb when it emerged from

Lieu: “Space is one of those areas where the U.S. is simply going to have to invest more because our competitors are gaining in space.” WASHINGTON — Congressman Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) hailed the April 8 announcement that Los Angeles Air Force Base will be the permanent home of the U.S. Space Force procurement command.  “I’m

Randomness is key to many applications, including cryptography. (Courtesy: Shutterstock/Maksim Kabakou) Researchers at Japan’s Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) have built a quantum random number generator (QRNG) that delivers random bits periodically with high speed and is robust against noise that would otherwise compromise the bits’ security. Where previous QRNGs needed to run for

ULA is still betting on long-endurance upper stages and believes the technology has a bright future.  WASHINGTON — When United Launch Alliance started to develop its new Vulcan rocket, it envisioned using a new upper stage called ACES, short for advanced cryogenic evolved stage. ULA’s president and CEO Tory Bruno described it in 2018 as

The key is developing a 10-ton lander The triumphant landing of the Perseverance rover has inspired all Americans, and indeed much of the world. President Biden should follow it up by launching the program to send humans to Mars. While robotic rovers are wonderful, they cannot resolve the fundamental scientific questions that Mars poses to

By: Hannah Pell On 29 March 2021, the Biden administration announced another ambitious clean energy goal: deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030. According to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the U.S. offshore wind capacity was 28,521 megawatts (or 28.5 gigawatts) in 2019. Deploying an additional 30 gigawatts over a decade

The artificial tendon material developed by UCLA materials scientists. Credit: Sidi Duan, Shuwang Wu, Mutian Hua, and Ximin He/UCLA A strong, flexible and tough hydrogel that contains more than 70% water could be used to make durable artificial tendons and other load-bearing biological tissues. The new hydrogel was made by researchers at the University of

SAN FRANCISCO — Microsoft announced plans April 6 to move automated satellite image processing technology developed by Thales Alenia Space into its Azure Orbital platform. With Thales Alenia’s DeeperVision software, “images downlinked by Earth observation satellites can be immediately and systematically analyzed as soon as they are produced,” according to a Thales Alenia news release.

TAMPA, Fla. — CAES, the former electronics unit of British defense and aerospace contractor Cobham, has forged an alliance to bring Swiss 3D printed satellite RF technology to the U.S. market. Arlington, Virginia-based CAES (formerly known as Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions) is partnering with Switzerland-based additive manufacturing specialist Swissto12 to target U.S. government and commercial

Taken from the April 2021 issue of Physics World, where it first appeared under the headline “Living in a materials world”. Members of the Institute of Physics can enjoy the full issue via the Physics World app. Materials scientist Arnab Basu, head of radiation-detection technology developer Kromek, talks to Tushna Commissariat about founding a spin-off,

As former U.S. lawmaker Bill Nelson awaits Senate confirmation of his nomination to lead NASA, it is perhaps time to recall a policy he voted for some 30 years ago.  As chairman of a House space subcommittee, Nelson presided over consideration of the Space Settlement Act of 1988, which was added as a provision to

Numerica won a $750,000 Small Business Innovation Research award and later received an additional $2.25 million to mature the technology WASHINGTON — Numerica, a company that operates a network of ground-based telescopes to track objects in deep space, is deploying new sensors that can observe orbiting satellites in broad daylight. The telescopes were funded with

Two slabs of boron nitride crystals are dynamically twisted with respect to each other. At certain angles, the incoming laser light can be efficiently converted to higher energy light, as a result of micromechanical symmetry breaking. (Courtesy: Nathan R Finney and Sanghoon Chae/Columbia Engineering) Researchers in the US have shown that 2D materials can be

WASHINGTON — The Russian space agency Roscosmos anticipates additional negotiations with China at a conference in June, building upon an agreement on lunar exploration announced in February. The February agreement, in the form of a memorandum of understanding, announced the intent of China and Russia to develop an “International Lunar Research Station,” likely at the