On Dec. 1, 2020, the instrument platform of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico collapsed on the radio dish below. In honor of the observatory’s nearly 60-year run, today’s CTT highlights some of the important discoveries made using data collected from the radio telescope.
Read MoreFor more than 50 years, the Apollo-era Laser Ranging Retroreflector experiment helped scientists track the moon’s orbit and distance from Earth. The efficiency of the moon-based reflectors decreased over time, though, so NASA scientists looked to reflect light from a spacecraft-based reflector instead—a feat they recently achieved for the first time.
Read MoreIn their search for places to install PV infrastructure, solar companies have taken several creative approaches, including floating solar panels on reservoirs and co-locating them with crops. Space-based solar power is another concept studied since the 1970s, and this May, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory launched the first orbital experiment with space-based solar power.
Read MoreUltrahigh-temperature ceramics are promising materials for protecting aircraft wings from friction during hypersonic flight—but thermal shock can cause these ceramics to crack. In the cover article for the March 2020 International Journal of Ceramic Engineering & Science, researchers in China report how wing shape affects thermal shock behavior of UHTCs.
Read MoreThe first images released from the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope show the sun’s surface in unprecedented detail. Such imaging is possible because of ultra-low thermal expansion glass-ceramic mirrors, which are used in numerous large-scale telescope projects around the globe.
Read MoreFaster than a speeding bullet: A review on fiber reinforced UHTCMCs for hypersonic aircraft and more
Ultra-high temperature ceramic matrix composites could be used on some of the hottest portions of hypersonic aircraft if their brittleness is reduced. Research on using fibers to reinforce these materials increased greatly in the past decade, and a recent review article in an ACerS journal discusses the progress and challenges in this field.
Read MoreWith just under 200 of 12,000 satellites launched, SpaceX’s planned Starlink constellation is already causing major complications for astronomers. Global internet coverage could theoretically be achieved with only four satellites, and a new paper proposes a way to make such a constellation economically feasible.
Read MoreA whole slate of startup companies are raising millions of dollars in funding to support their missions to extract resources from space—but is mining the moon for rare earth elements even feasible?
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