Futuristic clock prepared for space

Futuristic clock prepared for space Pasadena CA (JPL) Mar 23, 2017 - No one keeps time quite like NASA. Last month, the space agency's next-generation atomic clock was joined to the spacecraft that will take it into orbit in late 2017. That instrument, the Deep Space Atomic Clock was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. On Feb. 17, JPL engineers monitored integration of the clock on to the Surrey Orbital Test Bed spacecraft ... more

Breaks observed in Curiosity rover wheel treads Pasadena CA (JPL) Mar 23, 2017 - A routine check of the aluminum wheels on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has found two small breaks on the rover's left middle wheel-the latest sign of wear and tear as the rover continues its journey, now approaching the 10-mile (16 kilometer) mark. The mission's first and second breaks in raised treads, called grousers, appeared in a March 19 image check of the wheels, documenting that these brea ... more

Breaking the supermassive black hole speed limit Los Alamos NM (SPX) Mar 23, 2017 - A new computer simulation helps explain the existence of puzzling supermassive black holes observed in the early universe. The simulation is based on a computer code used to understand the coupling of radiation and certain materials. "Supermassive black holes have a speed limit that governs how fast and how large they can grow," said Joseph Smidt of the Theoretical Design Division at Los A ... more

Quadruped robot exhibits spontaneous changes in step with speed Sendai, Japan (SPX) Mar 23, 2017 - The research group of Professor Akio Ishiguro and Assistant Professor Dai Owaki of Tohoku University have, for the first time, successfully demonstrated that by changing only its parameter related to speed, a quadruped robot can spontaneously change its steps between energy-efficient patterns (gait transition phenomena). Until now, the manner in which changing speeds cause quadrupeds to ch ... more

PSI toolbox for research and exploration project funded for $5.5 million Tucson AZ (SPX) Mar 23, 2017 - The Planetary Science Institute has been awarded $5.5 million by NASA to be a research node of the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) to advance basic and applied research for lunar and planetary science, and advance human exploration of the solar system. The node, known as the Toolbox for Research and Exploration (TREX) project, will be led by PSI Senior Scientis ... more

Tracing Aromatic Molecules in the Early Universe Riverside CA (SPX) Mar 23, 2017 - A UC Riverside-led team of astronomers have taken us a step closer to better understand the formation and destruction mechanisms of dust molecules in the distant universe. A molecule found in car engine exhaust fumes that is thought to have contributed to the origin of life on Earth has made astronomers heavily underestimate the amount of stars that were forming in the early Universe, a Universi ... more

Rare-earths become water-repellent only as they age Basel, Switzerland (SPX) Mar 23, 2017 - Surfaces that have been coated with rare earth oxides develop water-repelling properties only after contact with air. Even at room temperature, chemical reactions begin with hydrocarbons in the air. In the journal Scientific Reports, researchers from the University of Basel, the Swiss Nanoscience Institute and the Paul Scherrer Institute report that it is these reactions that are responsible for ... more

SES is enabling disaster response and connecting affected communities Luxembourg (SPX) Mar 23, 2017 - SES offers a broad range of solutions to support humanitarian and disaster relief efforts across the globe. Some of them were showcased during the Humanitarian ICT (Information and Communications Technology) Forum organised by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC), and held on the 21 and 22 March in Mountain V ... more

Visualizing nuclear radiation Kyoto, Japan (SPX) Mar 23, 2017 - Extraordinary decontamination efforts are underway in areas affected by the 2011 nuclear accidents in Japan. The creation of total radioactivity maps is essential for thorough cleanup, but the most common methods, according to Kyoto University's Toru Tanimori, do not 'see' enough ground-level radiation. "The best methods we have currently are labor intensive, and to measure surface radiati ... more

Ultrafast measurements explain quantum dot voltage drop Los Alamos NM (SPX) Mar 23, 2017 - Solar cells and photodetectors could soon be made from new types of materials based on semiconductor quantum dots, thanks to new insights based on ultrafast measurements capturing real-time photoconversion processes. "Our latest ultrafast electro-optical spectroscopy studies provide unprecedented insights into the photophysics of quantum dots," said lead researcher Victor Klimov, a physici ... more