Phys.org November 18, 2021 Xenon is used almost exclusively as an ionizable propellant for space propulsion. However, xenon is rare, it must be stored under high pressure and production cost is high. Researchers in France used iodine propellant in a system and presented in-orbit results of the technology. They stored iodine as a solid and sublimated at low temperatures. Plasma was produced with a radio-frequency inductive antenna with enhanced ionization efficiency. Both atomic and molecular iodine ions were accelerated by high-voltage grids to generate thrust, and a highly collimated beam was produced with substantial iodine dissociation. The propulsion system was […]
Tag Archives: Space technology
A proactive approach to removing space junk
Phys.org October 29, 2021 Time-varying magnetic fields generate eddy currents in conductive materials with resulting forces and torques due to the interaction of the eddy currents with the magnetic field. This phenomenon has previously been used to induce drag to reduce the motion of objects as they pass through a static field or to apply force on an object in a single direction using a dynamic field. A team of researchers in the US (University of Utah, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, industry) has shown that manipulation, with six degrees of freedom, of conductive objects is possible by using multiple rotating […]
Lasers learn to accurately spot space junk
Phys.org December 24, 2019 Scientists have developed space junk identification systems, but it has proven tricky to pinpoint the swift, small specks of space litter. Researchers in China trained a back propagation neural network to recognize space debris using two correcting algorithms. The Genetic Algorithm and Levenberg-Marquardt optimized the neural network’s thresholds for recognition of space debris, ensuring the network wasn’t too sensitive and could be trained on localized areas of space. The team demonstrated the improved accuracy by testing against three traditional methods. The observation data of 95 stars was used to solve the algorithm coefficients from each method, […]
Finding a killer electron hot spot in Earth’s Van Allen radiation belts
Science Daily December 13, 2019 Scientists have known that electrons in Van Allen radiation belts that interact with ultralow frequency plasma waves accelerate to reach the speed of light. However, it has not been clear when or where these killer electrons start to accelerate. To gain more insight about the electrons an international team of researchers (Japan, USA – industry, University of Iowa, Russia) analyzed data generated on March 30, 2017, by the Arase satellite and Van Allen Probe. On one side of the Earth, the Van Allen Probe identified characteristic signs of an interaction between ultralow frequency waves and […]
China Grew Two Cotton Leaves on the Moon
IEEE Spectrum September 30, 2019 The experiment began shortly after China’s Chang’e-4 spacecraft made the first ever landing on the far side of the moon, on 3 January this year. Cotton, arabidopsis and potato seeds, fruit-fly eggs and yeast were all aboard the 2.6-kilogram mini biosphere, but only the cotton produced positive results. Image processing has now shown that two cotton leaves had grown. All the species died with the onset of the first lunar night, with no power to protect the canister from temperatures that reached as low as minus 190 degrees Celsius. The cotton leaves were dead within […]
Melting a satellite, a piece at a time
Phys.org June 17, 2019 An international team of researchers (UK, Germany, Portugal) working on ESA’s Clean Space initiative, placed a 4 x 10 cm magnetotorquer in a plasma wind tunnel reproducing reentry conditions to study how satellites burn up during reentry. They noted some similarities but also some discrepancies with the prediction models. They observed the behaviour of the equipment at different heat flux set-ups for the plasma wind tunnel in order to derive more information about materials properties and demisability. A big source of uncertainty in the demise process is the tendency for parts to fragment, generating multiple items […]
Unveiling technologies for future launch vehicles
Phys.org June 7, 2019 ESA safeguards Europe’s guaranteed access to space through its Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP) which weighs up the opportunities and risks of different launch vehicle concepts and associated technologies and defines the concepts and requirements for new space transportation systems and services. Its demonstrators and studies hone emerging technologies to give Europe’s rocket builders a valuable head-start as they begin the demanding work of turning the chosen design into reality. Technologies are selected on their potential to reduce cost, improve performance, improve reliability, or on their ability to fulfil the specific needs of an identified system, […]
Fleets of autonomous satellites to coordinate tasks among themselves
Phys.org March 27, 2019 Working under the CORDIS project NetSat researchers in Germany aim to launch four small satellites, at the end of this year, to orbit the Earth and test formations with varying degrees of autonomy, with light-touch supervision from ground control. Each satellite weighs 3 kilogram and they will be placed in low Earth orbit. The satellites will be able to coordinate with each other over distances from about 100 kilometres down to 10 metres, as well as change their formation depending on the tasks they need to perform. AI can make a satellite aware of its surroundings and […]
X-rays might be a better way to communicate in space
Phys.org February 25, 2019 Since its inception in 1958, NASA has relied solely on radio communications to stay in contact with all of its missions beyond Earth. NASA is looking at X-ray communications (XCOM) through which more information could be sent with the same amount of transmission power, and less energy needed over long distances. X-rays can penetrate the hot plasma that builds up as spacecraft re-enter Earth’s atmosphere at hypersonic speeds. NASA (Goddard Space Center) has created Modulated X-ray Source (MXS), which will be tested in the coming years. MXS will be controlled using the NavCube to send encoded […]
Watch a harpoon successfully spear a piece of space junk
MIT Technology Review February 15, 2019 Right now there are more than 7,600 tons of space junk floating around our planet. Researchers in the UK created a satellite called the RemoveDEBRIS which fired a harpoon at 20 meters a second at a separate satellite panel that it was holding at the end of a boom. The harpoon succeeded in stabbing and capturing the item. Last year the team also “accurately fired a giant net” https://www.technologyreview.com/the-download/612174/satellite-uses-giant-net-to-trap-spinning-bit-of-space-junk/ at a satellite to capture it and tested out a lidar- and camera-based system for identifying space junk. The final test by RemoveDEBRIS in March […]