Aeronautics & Space

Video of the week: The Shirtsleeve Invention

By / June 22, 2011

I learned about the existence of this video after I wrote my review of Gloria Beasley Lausten’s book about the work by her husband (Bob Beasley) on the NASA’s Space…

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Beasley biography details quest for space shuttle’s thermal protection system

By / June 21, 2011

If mechanical systems and the weather cooperate, July 8 will bring the 135rd and final mission of the American Space Shuttle program (STS-135). Coincidentally, I recently received a charming biography…

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Video of the week: Ash, sand-resistant thermal barrier coatings and novel test rig

By / June 2, 2011

[flash https://ceramics.org/ceramictechtoday/wp-content/video/osu_turbine_coatings.flv mode=1 f={image=/ceramictechtoday/wp-content/video/osu_turbine_coatings.jpg}] Apropos to the latest round of ash clouds spewing from the EyjafjallajökullI volcano, plus indications that some utilities are going to be building new high-temperature fast-cycle…

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Netzsch planning high-temperature materials conference this fall in Boston

By / February 24, 2011

Ultra-high temperature materials are required in hypersonic aerospace applications, such as NASA’s X-51A vehicle. Credit: NASA. Netzsch Instruments has announced that it is launching what I assume it hopes to…

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A cheaper, lighter, more efficient antenna

By / February 7, 2011

Credit: Penn State Isn’t there a law or something that prohibits using metamaterials for something other than invisibility cloaks?* According to Douglas H. Werner, professor of electrical engineering at Penn…

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NASA solar sail lost in space

By / December 14, 2010

NASA’s first solar sail was scheduled to be released into orbit last week, but the space agency reports that it is unable to make contact. NASA cannot determine if the…

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The next frontier? Lunar mining for rare earth elements?

By / November 16, 2010

Lunar mining may be in our not-so-distant future, as evidence of rare earth elements is clear, and China tightens its exports, increasing demand worldwide. “We know there are local concentrations…

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Intriguing scientists and engineers among 2010 MacArthur ‘genius’ Fellows

By / September 29, 2010

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation named 23 new MacArthur Fellows for 2010. Included in this list is John Dabiri whose work with fluid dynamics we’ve featured several…

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Mars cleaning tech offers method to sweep dust off Earth’s solar panels

By / August 25, 2010

PV panels on the Mars rover Spirit were covered with dust over a two-year period. Credit: NASA/JPL. Self-cleaning surfaces aren’t a particularly novel idea, and self-cleaning glass commercial products made…

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Solar sail uses smart glass to steer through cosmos

By / July 27, 2010

Artist’s conception of solar sail. (Credit: JAXA.) Japan has successfully deployed a solar sail on a spacecraft, demonstrating for the first time that such technology can be used to convert…

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