News by Subject Space & Planetary

Material scientists from Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) joined an international team of researchers to develop new nanocomposite ceramics (Ho3+:Y2O3-MgO) that can be employed in high-capacity laser systems operating in the medium infrared range (IR) of 2-6 micrometers. These lasers are safe for the human vision and have multiple applications in various fields of economy, including industry, atmosphere probing, medicine, and light radars. An article about the work was published in the Ceramics International.

Captured on Oct. 20, 2020 during the OSIRIS-REx mission's Touch-And-Go (TAG) sample collection event, this series of images shows the SamCam imager's field of view as the NASA spacecraft approaches and touches down on asteroid Bennu's surface, over 200 million miles away from Earth.

Simulations show it's possible to distinguish host galaxy from quasars, although still challenging due to the galaxy's small size on the sky.

NASA's extensive fleet of spacecraft allows scientists to study the Sun extremely close-up - one of the agency's spacecraft is even on its way to fly through the Sun's outer atmosphere. But sometimes taking a step back can provide new insight.

As the days count down to NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft's Touch-And-Go asteroid sample collection attempt, Southwest Research Institute scientists have helped determine what the spacecraft can expect to return from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu's surface. Three papers published online by Science on Oct. 8 discuss the color, reflectivity, age, composition, origin and distribution of materials that make up the asteroid's rough surface.

NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft mission's first attempt to pick up the sample is scheduled for Oct. 20, 2020, and the spacecraft is scheduled to return the sample back to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023. In advance of the sample collection, the science team published a set of six papers in Science and Science Advances to share its scientific findings to date while building interest in the upcoming event.

A new research study conducted by City, University of London's Professor Christoph Bruecker and his team, has revealed that fish scale arrays generate a streaky base flow on the surface of the animal which yields important clues into reducing drag - the aerodynamic force that opposes an aircraft's motion through the air - by more than 25 percent.