Since the discovery of the Higgs Boson (or, more infamously, the “God Particle”) in 2012 at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) based at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN), particle physicists have sought to expand their ability to probe Nature’s deepest secrets. Although the Higgs was the last missing piece of the Standard Model
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The Spacepower document is the Space Force’s first capstone doctrine WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force on Aug. 10 issued a new guiding document for the use of space in military operations. The document titled “Spacepower” lays out a vision for what the space branch of the armed services will do, and explains why the
Rice University graduate student Lauren McCarthy. (Courtesy: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University) Technologies that rely on interactions between matter and polarized light usually stick to the well-understood effects of linear or circular polarization. Researchers at Rice University in the US have now opened the door to fresh approaches by studying how matter reacts to an additional form
The selection of SpaceX and ULA was expected. What was surprising was the large value of the contract awarded to SpaceX for its first Phase 2 mission. WASHINGTON — The Air Force made the call to stick with SpaceX and United Launch Alliance as its launch providers for the next five years. Now it has
Kitay said he is leaving to pursue a “very exciting opportunity in the private sector.” WASHINGTON — Stephen Kitay, deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, has resigned from his position and will leave the Pentagon on Aug. 21 Kitay, a political appointee, announced his resignation in a social media post Aug. 8. “It
2Te3. Courtesy: Chinese Physics Letters“> Crystal structure of Bi2Te3. Courtesy: Chinese Physics Letters In 2019, researchers discovered that two intrinsically magnetic materials, MnBi2Te4 and MnBi2Te7, can behave as topological insulators – materials that are electrically insulating in bulk, but conduct electricity well on the surface. A team led by Yangpeng Qi from ShanghaiTech University has
If confirmed, Thompson will be the second four-star general in the U.S. Space Force under Gen. John “Jay” Raymond. WASHINGTON — President Trump on Aug. 7 nominated Lt. Gen. David D. Thompson for promotion to four-star general. If confirmed by the Senate, Thompson will become vice chief of space operations of the U.S. Space Force.
WASHINGTON — The Department of the Air Force announced Aug. 7 that United Launch Alliance and SpaceX have been selected to receive five-year contracts to launch national security satellites for the U.S. military and intelligence agencies. United Launch Alliance received a $337 million contract and SpaceX received a $316 million contract for launches planned between between
[embedded content] Above is a video by the physicist, YouTuber and quantum cartographer Dominic Walliman, who describes a map of quantum physics that he has created. The map introduces quantum mechanics by providing bite-sized chunks of information that are organized in a way that gives an overview of the quantum world and the academic disciplines
Updated 7:30 p.m. Eastern with Blue Origin comment. WASHINGTON — Six years ago, SpaceX was the upstart launch company seeking to break United Launch Alliance’s monopoly on national security space launches. Now, it’s part of the establishment. When the U.S. Air Force announced Aug. 7 that SpaceX and ULA would split the National Security Space
WASHINGTON — A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched the latest set of the company’s Starlink satellites, along with two BlackSky imaging satellites, Aug. 7 after weeks of delays. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center at 1:12 a.m. Eastern. After a pair of burns, the upper stage deployed BlackSky’s
Close shave: electron microscope image of a razorblade cutting human hair. (Courtesy: Gianluca Roscioli/Tasan Group/MIT) New insights into why a hard steel razor blade is dulled by cutting soft hairs have been gained by a trio of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Gianluca Roscioli, Seyedeh Mohadeseh Taheri-Mousavi and Cemal Cem Tasan did a
WASHINGTON — As small satellites become more powerful, manufacturers say they need better ways to manage excess heat generated by their electronics systems. Small satellites are increasingly handling more data, be it collecting remote sensing imagery or routing traffic for ground-based sensors and smart devices. Planet’s optical-imaging cubesats increased in onboard memory from 16 gigabytes
WASHINGTON — The percentage of small satellites that successfully complete their missions has improved in recent years even as the number of such satellites has dramatically increased. The Aerospace Corporation study, presented at the 34th Annual Small Satellite Conference, found that 87% of smallsats launched between 2009 and 2018 that had completed their missions had
Optical tweezers: Avinash Kumar, who built the Mpemba effect apparatus and carried out the experiments under the guidance of John Bechhoefer, at work in the lab. (Courtesy: Prithviraj Basak) In 1963, a Tanzanian schoolboy called Erasto Mpemba was making ice cream when he noticed something strange: hot water sometimes freezes faster than cold water. Though
SAN FRANCISCO – Revenues for Lithuanian Nanosatellite manufacturer NanoAvionics tripled in the last 12 months as the company signed contracts with startups and industry veterans. “As the market for nanosatellites and cubesats matures, NanoAvionics is very well placed with its price points and capability,” NanoAvionics US CEO Brent Abbott told SpaceNews. NanoAvionics, a spin-off from
WASHINGTON — Commercial satellite operator SES has selected SpaceX and United Launch Alliance to each launch two geostationary satellites designed to replace C-band capacity in the United States that the Federal Communications Commission is repurposing for 5G cellular networks. SpaceX’s agreement includes room to launch one additional “contingency satellite” that has not yet been ordered.
By Leah Poffenberger Artist’s representation of Pōniuāʻena. IMAGE CREDIT: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Marenfeld Looking up at the night sky stars is a bit like going to a history museum: The light we see is giving us a glimpse into the past. When light is emitted from a star, it has to travel across the galaxy