spacecraft

Next-gen spacecraft: In-development solid oxide fuel cells offer bipropellant enabled electrical power supply

By Guest Contributor / September 20, 2022

Mass and volume limitations make it challenging to load a spacecraft with all the equipment needed for a mission. An effort led by the Air Force Research Laboratory is developing a solid oxide fuel cell that converts chemical energy in a spacecraft’s bipropellant into electricity, thereby allowing an existing spacecraft component to be used as an auxiliary power supply.

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Other materials stories that may be of interest

By April Gocha / November 9, 2016

Graphene cracks glass corrosion, spacecraft nuclear batteries get a boost from new materials, and other materials stories that may be of interest for November 9, 2016.

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Video: Adorable interplanetary pioneers—CubeSats to soon travel to Mars with NASA’s Insight mission

By April Gocha / August 3, 2016

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab is preparing to send CubeSats on their first interplanetary mission—a journey to Mars.

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Acoustic detection method may identify early cracks in ceramic capacitors and beyond

By April Gocha / March 24, 2016

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology may be on to something that can help with better monitoring of ceramic capacitors—they have devised a new nondestructive method that may be able to detect cracks in materials before they lead to device failure.

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Other materials stories that may be of interest

By April Gocha / November 24, 2015

Laser refrigerates liquids, ORNL watches fuel cell catalysts evolve, and other materials stories that may be of interest for November 24, 2015.

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Other materials stories that may be of interest

By April Gocha / September 2, 2015

Quantum dot windows harvest sunlight, lunar fire fountain mystery unmystified, and other materials stories that may be of interest for September 2, 2015.

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Other materials stories that may be of interest

By April Gocha / September 1, 2015

Self-healing material for spacecraft, a nanoparticle book fit for drinking, and other materials stories that may be of interest for September 1, 2015.

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Surmet’s technology travels through space for exclusive closeup with Pluto

By April Gocha / August 14, 2015

NASA’s New Horizons mission, which recently provided the first glimpse of dwarf planet Pluto, wouldn’t have been successful without Surmet technology.

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Glass cockpit aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft sets the course for future space travel

By April Gocha / December 16, 2014

The Orion spacecraft, once ready for its human companions, will eventually be equipped with a glass cockpit control system, according to NASA.

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