Science

The Space Force and the National Reconnaissance Office lead a “program integration council” to coordinate efforts by multiple agencies NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The U.S. Space Force has an acquisitions arm called the Space Systems Command. A separate Space Rapid Capabilities Office that procures classified systems reports to the chief of the Space Force. The

Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond unveiled the “Guardian Ideal” document Sept. 21 at the Air Force Association’s Air, Space & Cyber conference NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The U.S. Space Force in a new document calls for a different approach to recruiting and retaining skilled personnel, arguing that service members and civilian workers should

Wearable therapy: The oncomagnetic device comprises three oncoscillators (that generate oscillating magnetic fields) securely attached to a helmet and connected to a controller box powered by a rechargeable battery. (Courtesy: Houston Methodist) A team of US-based researchers has used an innovative head-mounted device to shrink a brain tumour – potentially paving the way for a

The Space Warfighting Analysis Center will brief industry representatives Oct. 27 on the results of its first “force design” study focused on space-based missile warning and missile tracking NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Chief of Space Operations Gen. John “Jay” Raymond said a new Space Force office called Space Warfighting Analysis Center (SWAC) will brief industry representatives

WAILEA, Hawaii — Diplomats and other experts see signs of progress at the United Nations on addressing space sustainability but caution it may will take many years before any sort of binding agreement emerges. In presentations at the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies, or AMOS, Conference here Sept. 17, officials said a United

Pulsar pioneer: Antony Hewish designed the Interplanetary Scintillation Array at Mullard, which was used by Jocelyn Bell Burnell to detect a pulsar for the first time. (Courtesy: Churchill College Cambridge) The British Nobel-prize-winning astronomer Antony Hewish has died at the age of 97. He was awarded one half of the 1974 Nobel Prize for Physics

KIHEI, Hawaii — A draft environmental assessment released by the Federal Aviation Administration suggests that SpaceX will be able to proceed with orbital Starship launches from Texas, but with a number of mitigations required. The release of the Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) by the FAA Sept. 17 starts a public comment period that will

WAILEA, Hawaii — The growing number of satellites in orbit is leading to calls to develop formal “right of way” rules, although there is no consensus on what those rules should be and how they should be established. Several close approaches of satellites in recent years, in some cases exacerbated by disagreements or communications breakdowns

Taken from the September 2021 issue of Physics World where it first appeared under the headline “Keeping nuclear secrets”. Members of the Institute of Physics can enjoy the full issue via the Physics World app. Margaret Harris reviews Restricted Data: the History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States by Alex Wellerstein

KIHEI, Hawaii — SpaceX’s first private crewed mission ended with the splashdown of the Crew Dragon spacecraft off the Florida coast Sept. 18. The Crew Dragon spacecraft Resilience splashed down off the coast from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 7:06 p.m. Eastern. The splashdown took place 50 minutes after the spacecraft started its deorbit burn. “Inspiration4,

WAILEA, Hawaii — The U.S. military will take space sustainability factors into account should it have to respond to an attack on its satellites, a Space Force official said Sept. 16. Speaking at the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies, or AMOS, Conference here, Col. Scott D. Brodeur, director of the National Space Defense

Double vision: Visible (left) and infrared (right) images of a sign created using microscale concave interfaces. The infrared image was taken using a lidar camera. (Courtesy: Jacob Rada) A structural colour technology that produces concentric rainbows could help autonomous vehicles read road signs, scientists in the US and China claim. As well as exploring the

WAILEA, Hawaii — SpaceX’s first private Crew Dragon mission is set to end with a splashdown off the Florida coast Sept. 18, three days after liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center. At the end of a live video session with the four-person Inspiration4 mission Sept. 17, SpaceX said they were planning a splashdown at 7:06

TAMPA, Fla. — CesiumAstro expects to be building satellites mostly by itself in two years to house the active phased arrays it has been developing, aiming to shift the paradigm for electronically steered antennas with commercial-like industrialization processes that lower costs and speed up production. Austin, Texas-based CesiumAstro bought parts from small satellite manufacturers for

Fifth force experiment: the cold neutron guide hall at NIST’s Center for Neutron Research in Maryland. (Courtesy: NIST/Yiming Qiu) An improved search for a potential fifth force of nature is one of a trio of new results gleaned from observations of neutron interactions in silicon made by an international team of physicists. The work, which

WAILEA, Hawaii — Two years after the close approach of a Starlink satellite with a European Space Agency satellite alarmed some in the space industry, SpaceX says it’s working closely with a wide range of satellite operators to ensure safe space operations. In September 2019, ESA announced it maneuvered an Earth science satellite called Aeolus

KIHEI, Hawaii — Small launch vehicle developer ABL Space Systems has won a contract to launch a NASA technology demonstration spacecraft in 2023. ABL Space Systems said Sept. 16 it will launch the NASA Cryogenic Demonstration Mission spacecraft on its RS1 rocket in 2023. NASA selected a team led by Lockheed Martin in 2020 to