Cozy Dark

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program newest video from NASA...

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:26:58 -0800

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program

newest video from NASA Kennedy. not a fan of the music, but nice visualization.

Astronomers Watch Century-Old Broadcast of Powerful Stellar...

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:03:37 -0800

Astronomers Watch Century-Old Broadcast of Powerful Stellar Eruption |

Astronomers are watching a delayed broadcast of a spectacular outburst from the unstable, behemoth double-star system Eta Carinae, an event initially seen on Earth nearly 170 years ago.

Dubbed the “Great Eruption,” the outburst first caught the attention of sky watchers in 1837 and was observed through 1858. But astronomers didn’t have sophisticated science instruments to accurately record the star system’s petulant activity.

Luckily for today’s astronomers, some of the light from the eruption took an indirect path to Earth and is just arriving now, providing an opportunity to analyze the outburst in detail. The wayward light was heading in a different direction, away from our planet, when it bounced off dust clouds lingering far from the turbulent stars and was rerouted to Earth, an effect called a “light echo.” Because of its longer path, the light reached Earth 170 years later than the light that arrived directly. continue reading

The developers behind the Tokyo Sky Tree, Japan’s soon-to-be...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:01:36 -0800

The developers behind the Tokyo Sky Tree, Japan’s soon-to-be tallest building, are planning to build a 22,370-mile high space elevator by 2050.

(via architizer)

Dinosaur Robots (seriously): Paleontologist and Mechanical...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:06:00 -0800

Dinosaur Robots (seriously): Paleontologist and Mechanical Engineer Team Up at Drexel University |

Could Tyrannosaurus rex run down its prey or did the eight-ton “tyrant lizard” shuffle its feet on the ground like an elephant? How did large dinosaurs lay eggs? Could they kneel down or did they simply drop off their offspring from 2 1/2 stories in the air and hope they survived?

Short of the wildly advanced genetic engineering imagined in Jurassic Park, robots might be the best tools that we have for answering these kinds of questions. Hence the partnership between paleontologist Dr. Kenneth Lacovara and mechanical engineer James Tangorra, both of Drexel University, who are using 3D printing to create the most advanced dinosaur models the world has ever known.

“We’re hitting the point where we’re going to be able to study extinct creatures in the same way a biologist can study a raccoon or tuna,” says Lacovara. “It’s going to go beyond informed guesswork to testable hypotheses.” continue reading

Masten Space Systems’ Xaero 61m Free Flight | Masten...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:39:13 -0800

Masten Space Systems’ Xaero 61m Free Flight |

Masten Space Systems: “Upon completion of Xaero’s free flight hover earlier this month, she performed yet another successful free flight to an altitude of 61 meters on February 17th, 2012. The exterior view of the flight reveals a bobble at apogee, as well as a slight rocking motion after touchdown. Despite these imperfections, the flight was a complete success, with all test objectives reached or exceeded.”

Google looks to build satellite farm in Iowa to receive high...

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:55:00 -0800

Google looks to build satellite farm in Iowa to receive high speed data |

Google is looking to build an array of 4.5 meter wide satellite dishes in the town of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Company subsidiary Google Fiber — which recently announced plans to lay down fiber optic cable in Kansas City — has filed an FCC Public Notice seeking to build two earth stations in Council Bluffs, which would be used for “analog and digital audio, data, and video services.” Each proposed station would be receive-only, with one covering C-band and the other Ku-band. While a small town on the western edge of Iowa may seem like a strange place for a high-tech satellite farm, Google also currently operates a data center in Council Bluffs that has seen $600 million in investment. continue reading

‘Dark Plasmons’ Transmit Energy | Microscopic...

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:09:48 -0800

‘Dark Plasmons’ Transmit Energy |

Microscopic channels of gold nanoparticles have the ability to transmit electromagnetic energy that starts as light and propagates via “dark plasmons,” according to researchers at Rice University.

A new paper in the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters shows how even disordered collections of nanoparticles in arrays as thin as 150 nanometers can be turned into waveguides and transmit signals an order of magnitude better than previous experiments were able to achieve. Efficient energy transfer on the micrometer scale may greatly improve optoelectronic devices.

The Rice lab of Stephan Link, an assistant professor of chemistry and electrical and computer engineering, has developed a way to “print” fine lines of gold nanoparticles on glass. These lines of nanoparticles can transmit a signal from one nanoparticle to the next over many microns, much farther than previous attempts and roughly equivalent to results seen using gold nanowires. continue reading

For Space Mess, Scientists Seek Celestial Broom | … NASA...

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:11:00 -0800

For Space Mess, Scientists Seek Celestial Broom |

…

NASA just gave $1.9 million to Star Technology and Research, a small company in South Carolina, to develop and test technologies for a spacecraft it calls the ElectroDynamic Debris Eliminator — Edde, for short. Powered by a 6-mile-long wire — make that “space tether” — that generates energy as it is pulled through the Earth’s magnetic field, Edde would sidle up to a piece of junk, whip out a disposable net to catch it and then move to a lower orbit, where air friction would coax the item to re-enter the atmosphere. Edde, staying in orbit, would then move on to its next target.

Jerome Pearson, the president of Star Technology, says it would take only a few years and a few hundred million dollars for a fleet of Eddes to clean up the near-Earth neighborhood. continue reading

Milky Way’s Black Hole Grazing On Asteroids | The giant...

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:46:19 -0800

Milky Way’s Black Hole Grazing On Asteroids |

The giant black hole at the center of the Milky Way may be vaporizing and devouring asteroids, which could explain the frequent flares observed, according to astronomers using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.

For several years Chandra has detected X-ray flares about once a day from the supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A*, or “Sgr A*” for short. The flares last a few hours with brightness ranging from a few times to nearly one hundred times that of the black hole’s regular output. The flares also have been seen in infrared data from ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile.

“People have had doubts about whether asteroids could form at all in the harsh environment near a supermassive black hole,” said Kastytis Zubovas of the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, and lead author of the report appearing in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. “It’s exciting because our study suggests that a huge number of them are needed to produce these flares.” continue reading

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this video of swirls...

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:17:46 -0800

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this video of swirls of darker, cooler plasma caught between competing magnetic forces over the course of 30 hours. The plasma strands rotate like tornadoes caught on magnetic field lines. It sometimes feels incredible to observe such familiar-looking fluid behavior in such unfamiliar places, but it’s just a reminder that physics works no matter where you are.

via fuckyeahfluiddynamics

Putting the Squeeze On Planets Outside Our Solar System | Just...

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:28:00 -0800

Putting the Squeeze On Planets Outside Our Solar System |

Just as graphite can transform into diamond under high pressure, liquid magmas may similarly undergo major transformations at the pressures and temperatures that exist deep inside Earth-like planets.

Using high-powered lasers, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and collaborators discovered that molten magnesium silicate undergoes a phase change in the liquid state, abruptly transforming to a more dense liquid with increasing pressure. The research provides insight into planet formation.

“Phase changes between different types of melts have not been taken into account in planetary evolution models,” said lead scientist Dylan Spaulding, a University of California, Berkeley graduate student who conducted most of his thesis work at the Laboratory’s Jupiter Laser Facility. “But they could have played an important role during Earth’s formation and may indicate that extra-solar ‘Super-Earth’ planets are structured differently from Earth.” continue reading

XCOR’s Doug Jones at the LA Space Salon | Known as the...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:27:29 -0800

XCOR’s Doug Jones at the LA Space Salon |

Known as the Rocket Whisperer, Doug Jones is a Co-Founder and Chief Scientist at XCOR Aerospace. He handles test design and analysis of test results for the company’s liquid rocket engine development and facilitates the development and operation of rocket engine test apparatus. Before joining XCOR, Doug was responsible for sizing the fluid injector elements in Rotary Rocket Company’s (RRC) rocket engine design. Prior to RRC, Doug designed, built, and tested a 400 lb thrust nitrous oxide/propane engine, it’s test facility, and a 300,000 cubic foot balloon system for Vela Technology. Doug also flew multiple times as flight test engineer in the X-Racer rocket powered aircraft! via @SpaceVidCast

Vomit Comet Zero G Roller Coaster | California-based attraction...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:37:37 -0800

Vomit Comet Zero G Roller Coaster |

California-based attraction design and production firm BRC Imagination Arts, has proposed a zero gravity roller coaster designed to mimic the weightless sensations created by nasa’s ‘weightless wonder’ (colloquially nicknamed the ‘vomit comet’), the KC-135A aircraft used to test space equipment and train astronauts.

The attraction relies on an extremely precise linear acceleration system to continually accelerate and decelerate the craft, adjusting its speed and direction relative to the weight and distribution of passengers in order to achieve the sensation of microgravity.

In the first phase, coined ‘the throw’, the vehicle accelerates, reaching a speed of over 100 miles per hour directly upwards and causing passengers to experience 2 g. The craft then slightly and gradually slows its upward speed so as to precisely match the upward trajectory of its contents, thus causing the sensation of zero gravity.

In the third step, the ‘going down’, the vehicle moves downward at a pace equivalent to that of the now ‘falling’ passengers, extending the experience of microgravity. Lastly, ‘the catch’ involves rapid deceleration, causing passengers to again experience 2 g as they slow to a stop.

via unknownskywalker

Amazing Coffee-Filled Robot Can Beat You at Darts | They’ve...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:49:03 -0800

Amazing Coffee-Filled Robot Can Beat You at Darts |

They’ve beaten us at Jeopardy, taken our manufacturing jobs and now robots are coming for the one thing many of us hold dear — the ability to win at pointless bar games. Okay, so that’s not what the universal jamming gripper is meant for, but you still wouldn’t want to face off against it in a game of darts or pop-a-shot basketball.

This robotic gripper was actually built to solve a problem that has confounded many robots in uncontrolled environments: how to best pick up objects when you have no idea how big the object will be or what it will be shaped like.

Robots in factories don’t face this problem. They are programmed and calibrated to pick up the same-sized part again and again. In a messy home or out on the battlefield, things are much different. A robot arm that can quickly pick something up, no matter what it is, is invaluable.

How does the universal jamming gripper do this? By utilizing a latex balloon filled with coffee grounds.

“We use coffee grounds because they’re lightweight. When they’re unjammed they flow around nicely and when they are jammed they harden up really well,” explained John Amend, a Ph.D. candidate at Cornell University who helped start the project back in 2009. “Another nice thing about coffee is that it’s super-cheap. It’s hard to argue with the price.”

Basically, the loose coffee grounds conform to an object and when the air is sucked out, a pinching effect occurs that uses friction to lift it up. The process is so delicate that the gripper can pick up an egg without breaking it and so strong that it once lifted a pool ball attached to a gallon of water.

The team discovered the gripper’s unique dart-shooting ability by accident.

Swiss scientists develop “janitor satellite” to clean up space...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:25:00 -0800

Swiss scientists develop “janitor satellite” to clean up space junk |

Swiss scientists said Wednesday they plan to launch a “janitor satellite” specially designed to get rid of orbiting debris known as space junk.

The 10-million-franc ($11-million) satellite called CleanSpace One — the prototype for a family of such satellites — is being built by the Swiss Space Center at the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology in Lausanne, or EPFL.

EPFL said Wednesday its launch would come within three to five years and its first tasks are to grab two Swiss satellites launched in 2009 and 2010.

The U.S. space agency NASA says over 500,000 pieces of spent rocket stages, broken satellites and other debris are being tracked as they orbit Earth.

The debris travels at speeds approaching 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 kilometers per hour), fast enough to destroy or inflict costly and time-draining damage on a satellite or spacecraft. Collisions, in turn, generate more fragments floating in space.

“It has become essential to be aware of the existence of this debris and the risks that are run by its proliferation,” said Claude Nicollier, an astronaut and EPFL professor. continue reading

Planck All-Sky Images Show Cold Gas and Strange Haze in Milky...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:28:16 -0800

Planck All-Sky Images Show Cold Gas and Strange Haze in Milky Way Galaxy |

New images from the Planck mission show previously undiscovered islands of star formation and a mysterious haze of microwave emissions in our Milky Way galaxy. The views give scientists new treasures to mine and take them closer to understanding the secrets of our galaxy.

Planck is a European Space Agency mission with significant NASA participation.

“The images reveal two exciting aspects of the galaxy in which we live,” said Planck scientist Krzysztof M. Gorski from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and Warsaw University Observatory in Poland. “They show a haze around the center of the galaxy, and cold gas where we never saw it before.”

The new images show the entire sky, dominated by the murky band of our Milky Way galaxy. One of them shows the unexplained haze of microwave light previously hinted at in measurements by NASA’s Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP).

“The haze comes from the region surrounding the center of our galaxy and looks like a form of light energy produced when electrons accelerate through magnetic fields,” said Davide Pietrobon, another JPL Planck scientist. continue reading

Virgin Galactic Ramping Up Toward Passenger Flights | This...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:27:23 -0800

Virgin Galactic Ramping Up Toward Passenger Flights |

This year is key for Virgin Galactic’s bid to become the first commercial spaceliner service, as rocket-powered flights of its SpaceShipTwo are on the books for summer.

Meanwhile, assembly of a second vehicle pair — the WhiteKnightTwo carrier plane and another SpaceShipTwo suborbital space plane — is in progress at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.

“We’re now up to over 75 test flights of the WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft and 16 glide flights of the suborbital spaceship,” Whitesides said. “We will have more glide flights over the course of the spring.” [Rise of SpaceShipTwo: The Test Flights Photos]

For these glide flights, WhiteKnightTwo carries SpaceShipTwo up to mid-air, and then drops the smaller plane to make an unpowered glide back to the ground. However, the company is ramping up toward making the first powered test flights of SpaceShipTwo, which will fire the rocket motor it will eventually use to reach the edge of space. continue reading

Rare Ultra-Blue Stars Found in Neighboring Galaxy’s Hub...

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:07:50 -0800

Rare Ultra-Blue Stars Found in Neighboring Galaxy’s Hub |

Peering deep inside the hub of the neighboring Andromeda galaxy, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a large, rare population of hot, bright stars.

Blue is typically an indicator of hot, young stars. In this case, however, the stellar oddities are aging, Sun-like stars that have prematurely cast off their outer layers of material, exposing their extremely blue-hot cores.

Astronomers were surprised when they spotted these stars because physical models show that only an unusual type of old star can be as hot and as bright in ultraviolet light.

While Hubble has spied these ultra-blue stars before in Andromeda, the new observation covers a much broader area, revealing that these stellar misfits are scattered throughout the galaxy’s bustling center. Astronomers used Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 to find roughly 8,000 of the ultra-blue stars in a stellar census made in ultraviolet light, which traces the glow of the hottest stars. The study is part of the multi-year Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury survey to map stellar populations across the Andromeda galaxy.

“We were not looking for these stars. They stood out because they were bright in ultraviolet light and very different from the stars we expected to see,” said Julianne Dalcanton of the University of Washington in Seattle, leader of the Hubble survey. continue reading

Xaero from Masten Space Systems | “After rigorous...

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:48:00 -0800

Xaero from Masten Space Systems |

“After rigorous adherence to Masten’s “modify, test, modify” philosophy, Xaero has finally been unleashed from the safety tether, and performed a successful free flight hover this week. Improvements to our control algorithms were validated under tether earlier in the week, followed by careful analysis of Xaero’s flight performance. The result is a picture perfect 22 second hover flight.”

Scientists See ‘Sloshing’ Galaxy Cluster | A Naval...

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:51:54 -0800

Scientists See ‘Sloshing’ Galaxy Cluster |

A Naval Research Laboratory scientist is part of a team that has recently discovered that vast clouds of hot gas are “sloshing” in Abell 2052, a galaxy cluster located about 480 million light years from Earth. The scientists are studying the hot (30 million degree) gas using X-ray data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and optical data from the Very Large Telescope to see the galaxies.

“The X-ray images were amazing. We were able to see gas sloshing like liquid in a glass” explains NRL’s Dr. Tracy Clarke. “Of course this would be one enormous glass since we see the gas sloshing over a region of nearly a million light years across!”

The Chandra data reveal the huge spiral structure in the hot gas around the outside of the image. Zooming in on the cluster reveals “cavities” or “bubbles” surrounding the central giant elliptical galaxy. The spiral began when a small cluster of galaxies collided off-center with a larger one positioned around that central galaxy. continue reading