NASA snaps picture of Eastern US in a record-breaking 'freezer'
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Feb 24, 2015 -
NASA's Terra satellite captured an image of the snow-covered eastern U.S. that looks like the states have been sitting in a freezer. In addition to the snow cover, Arctic and Siberian air masses have settled in over the Eastern U.S. triggering many record low temperatures in many states.
On Feb. 19 at 16:40 UTC (11:40 a.m. EST), the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) ins ...
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Breaking down the comms barrier between humans and computers
Washington DC (SPX) Feb 24, 2015 -
The lifelong human imperative to communicate is so strong that people talk not only to other people but also to their pets, their plants and their computers. Unlike pets and plants, computers might one day reciprocate. DARPA's new Communicating with Computers (CwC) program aims to develop technology to turn computers into good communicators.
Straightforward as that may sound, communication ...
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Widespread winds and eedback from supermassive black holes
Keele, UK (SPX) Feb 24, 2015 -
Astronomers have discovered that the winds from supermassive black holes at the centre of galaxies blow outward in all directions, a suspected phenomenon that had been difficult to prove before now.
These new findings, by an international team of astrophysicists, were made possible by simultaneous observations of the luminous quasar PDS 456 with ESA's XMM-Newton and NASA's NuSTAR X-ray tel ...
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Sensors Detect Icing Conditions to Help Protect Airplanes
Cleveland OH (SPX) Feb 24, 2015 -
When ice accumulates on the surface of an aircraft during flight, it distorts the smooth flow of air necessary to stay aloft. The result is a reduction in lift, which can lead to stalls and crashes. Knowing about hazardous icing conditions in advance helps pilots, air traffic controllers and airline dispatchers navigate airplanes and passengers away from danger.
However, icing conditions c ...
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Satellite gearing up to take EPIC pictures of Earth
Washington DC (SPX) Feb 24, 2015 -
The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite is on its way to do something epic. NOAA's spacecraft, sent to monitor space weather, will use its Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) to capture the entire sunlit face of our planet and collect valuable atmospheric data. EPIC, built by Lockheed Martin, will show the full face of Earth in a single picture, something previously done only ...
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Surviving Mars on Earth
Washington DC (SPX) Feb 24, 2015 -
Meet the man who has survived Mars on Earth. Diego Urbina, an Italian-Colombian engineer, was a part of 520-day, record-breaking simulated mission to the Red Planet. He participated in the final stage of Mars500 experiment, a year-and-a-half isolation from the rest of the world, which was intended to find out how the human mind and body would cope on a long-duration spaceflight.
The last s ...
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IXV Spaceplane misison a boost Thales Alenia Space
Washington DC (SPX) Feb 24, 2015 -
On Feb. 11, ESA's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV), atmospheric reentry demonstrator, successfully completed its first test flight, ending with a splashdown into the Pacific Ocean and one aerospace company is bursting with pride over the flawless test.
"The success of this mission is a source of great pride for us. Thanks to the data collected during the flight, we are paving the wa ...
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