Under light fields, polystyrene/gold Janus particles are set to swim and rotate alternatively such that they follow a predefined path (reprinted under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License) Microscopic devices made from so-called Janus particles can be made to “swim” through liquid with the help of light-induced thermoelectric fields. The devices, which can travel 100μm
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HELSINKI — China has initiated preparations to launch Chang’e-5, a mission seeking to collect and return the first lunar samples since the 1970s. Chang’e-5 aims to collect and return around two kilograms of lunar samples and was earlier slated for launch before the end of 2020. Ship tracking and satellite data now indicate that China
WASHINGTON — The longtime president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is stepping down next month to become an executive with one of the organization’s member companies. The CSF announced Sept. 17 that Eric Stallmer will leave the organization in late October to become executive vice president for government relations and public policy at Voyager
A laser light shines in a gas cell where UCF researchers generate attosecond pulses. Courtesy: UCF Studies of ultrafast processes could become more widely accessible thanks to researchers at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in the US, who have shown that commercially available, industrial-grade lasers can generate attosecond pulses of light. Until now, such
The contract is for the Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications program, known as Evolved Strategic Satcom. WASHINGTON — Northrop Grumman received a $298 million contract to develop a jam-resistant military satellite that could eventually supplement or replace the existing Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellites made by Lockheed Martin. The Space and Missile Systems Center announced
Public engagement event at a local high school with the Women and Minorities in the Physical Sciences group in graduate school By: Brean Prefontaine We all know what is about to happen when someone asks, “What do/did you study?” As soon as you utter the word “physics” you have to brace for the inevitable “oh,
WASHINGTON — The lunar lander under development by Dynetics for NASA’s Artemis program will make use of in-space refueling of cryogenic propellants and require three launches in quick succession, company officials revealed. In a Sept. 15 webinar held by Dynetics in cooperation with the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics, the company discussed the overall
Tirthraj Adhikari is a radiation oncology physicist at the BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital in Nepal. This post is part of a series on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the personal and professional lives of physicists around the world. If you’d like to share your own perspective, please contact us at pwld@ioppublishing.org. Tirthraj Adhikari (far
Raymond: “One of the really big issues is the dollars that are transferring from the Air Force to the Space Force that can’t officially move over in a CR.” WASHINGTON — Congress is expected to pass a continuing resolution to fund the federal government when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1. An extended CR
WASHINGTON — The discovery of a molecule in the atmosphere of Venus associated with life could boost the prospects for both government and private missions to the planet. In a paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy Sept. 14, a group of astronomers reported the discovery of the molecule phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus.
Making connections: illustration of gamma-ray flickers being created by magnetic reconnection in a turbulent region in the jet of the blazar 3C 279. (Courtesy: Amit Shukla/Indian Institute of Technology Indore) A gamma ray flare originating from a distant blazar was likely generated by magnetic reconnection within a black hole’s relativistic jet, a pair of researchers
WASHINGTON — Europe’s next-generation Vega C rocket won’t launch until at least the middle of 2021, the rocket’s manufacturer said Monday. Giulio Ranzo, CEO of Avio, said the company is prioritizing customers of the current Vega rocket that have been waiting since last year for that vehicle to resume operation. “We had a slowdown which
By: Hannah Pell “Assume the cow is a perfect sphere.” Any of us who have taken a physics class or two has probably met the Spherical Cow at some point (or a version of it). How can I calculate the volume of an irregular, misshapen 3-D object like a cow? Well, I’ll smooth out the
WASHINGTON — The House is slated to pass a space weather bill this week, culminating a five-year effort to turn a put elements of a space weather strategy and action plan into law. A schedule released Sept. 11 by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) listed the Promoting Research and Observations of Space Weather to
Concept image of electronic skin that can sense touch, pain, and heat. (Courtesy: Ella Maru Studio) Researchers in Australia have designed an electronic skin that displays human-like reactions to pressure, temperature and pain. Madhu Bhaskaran and colleagues at RMIT University developed the material by combining artificial sensors for these three stimuli into a single, biocompatible
WASHINGTON — Virgin Orbit has asked OneWeb’s bankruptcy court to require OneWeb pay $46.3 million on a contract termination fee for 35 LauncherOne missions it canceled in 2018. Virgin Orbit sued the megaconstellation startup 15 months ago over a 2015 launch contract that called for 39 LauncherOne missions, with options for 100 more. OneWeb canceled
WASHINGTON — United Launch Alliance is looking at a three-core version of its Vulcan Centaur rocket, although an executive said that such a vehicle is “pretty far out on the horizon.” In a Sept. 9 keynote at the Secure World Foundation’s Summit for Space Sustainability online conference, Mark Peller, vice president of major development at
Join the audience for a live webinar at 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. EDT on 23 September 2020 exploring the challenges for the development and deployment of AEM fuel cells Want to take part in this webinar? In recent years, advances in alkaline exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) with anion exchange membrane (AEM) solid polymer electrolytes have