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UrduSandia National Laboratories has been working on an autonomy project led by the Air Force Research Laboratory that could improve the nation’s ability to conduct national security missions, including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, climate monitoring and emergency response.
Tag: Satellites
UAH researcher awarded $650K to develop propulsion system to boost surveillance of space between Earth and Moon
Dr. John Bennewitz, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), has been awarded a $650,000, 45-month Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) grant to develop an advanced propulsion system that will facilitate surveillance of space between the Earth and the Moon by the United States Space Force.
Using machine learning to help monitor climate-induced hazards
Combining satellite technology with machine learning may allow scientists to better track and prepare for climate-induced natural hazards, according to research presented last month at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union.
NRAO Expands Radio Dynamic Zone Testing with Support from NSF
Following a generous grant from the National Science Foundation’s Spectrum Innovation Initiative (SII), NSF’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) will expand efforts to establish and support the co-existence of research and commercial entities across the radio spectrum.
Experts say the discovery of Earthbound asteroids and comets needs improvement; too many satellites could prevent discovery
A new survey of planetary defense experts from Apollo Academic Surveys and Olin College of Engineering reports that discovery of asteroids and comets needs improvement. In addition, the proliferation of commercial satellites could prevent them from identifying Earthbound asteroids and comets.
‘Beam Me Up:’ Nation’s First Quantum Drone Provides Unrivaled Security
Researchers are developing the nation’s first drone-based, mobile quantum network for unhackable wireless communication. The network includes drones, a ground station, lasers and fiber optics. In war, these drones would provide one-time crypto-keys to exchange critical information, which spies and enemies would not be able to intercept. Quantum protects information using the laws of nature and not just by a clever manmade code.
Waste of space
University of Utah mechanical engineering professor Jake Abbott has discovered a method to manipulate orbiting space debris by using spinning magnets. This allows agencies to either help clear out such debris or repair damaged satellites by moving or grasping the objects without physically touching them.
Eureka! A cost effective and quick way to find groundwater in arid regions
Water is a scarce commodity in many countries worldwide, but new cost effective technology pioneered by researchers in Australia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia could ensure sustainable water supplies for decades to come.
Climate change is driving plant die-offs in Southern California, UCI study finds
Irvine, Calif., June 21, 2021 – A shift is happening in Southern California, and this time it has nothing to do with earthquakes. According to a new study by scientists at the University of California, Irvine, climate change is altering the number of plants populating the region’s deserts and mountains. Using data from the Landsat satellite mission and focusing on an area of nearly 5,000 square miles surrounding Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the research team found that between 1984 and 2017, vegetation cover in desert ecosystems decreased overall by about 35 percent, with mountains seeing a 13 percent vegetation decline.
Catastrophic Sea-Level Rise from Antarctic Melting is Possible with Severe Global Warming
The Antarctic ice sheet is much less likely to become unstable and cause dramatic sea-level rise in upcoming centuries if the world follows policies that keep global warming below a key 2015 Paris climate agreement target, according to a Rutgers coauthored study. But if global warming exceeds the target – 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) – the risk of ice shelves around the ice sheet’s perimeter melting would increase significantly, and their collapse would trigger rapid Antarctic melting. That would result in at least 0.07 inches of global average sea-level rise a year in 2060 and beyond, according to the study in the journal Nature.
Advising NASA on which satellites should stay in orbit
Iowans are helping to shape the future of NASA’s satellite missions. Faculty from Iowa State and Iowa were among 13 scientists selected to serve on a congressionally mandated panel to advise NASA on which satellite missions should continue and which should be grounded.
Paying for emissions we’ve already released
The planet is committed to global warming in excess of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6°F) just from greenhouse gases that have already been added to the atmosphere. This is the conclusion of new research by scientists from Nanjing University, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Texas A&M University, which appears in the latest edition of Nature Climate Change.
Subscriptions to satellite alerts linked to decreased deforestation in Africa
Deforestation dropped by 18 percent in two years in African countries where organizations subscribed to receive warnings from a new service using satellites to detect decreases in forest cover in the tropics.
5G Wireless May Lead to Inaccurate Weather Forecasts
Upcoming 5G wireless networks that will provide faster cell phone service may lead to inaccurate weather forecasts, according to a Rutgers study on a controversial issue that has created anxiety among meteorologists.
How to Get a Handle on Carbon Dioxide Uptake by Plants
How much carbon dioxide, a pivotal greenhouse gas behind global warming, is absorbed by plants on land? It’s a deceptively complicated question, so a Rutgers-led group of scientists recommends combining two cutting-edge tools to help answer the crucial climate change-related question.
China’s ecological restoration projects deplete terrestrial water stores
Irvine, Calif., Sept. 10, 2020 – Through concerted, policy-driven efforts, China has converted large swaths of desert into grassland over the past few decades, but this success has come at a cost. In a study published recently in Nature Sustainability, scientists at the University of California, Irvine report that the Asian nation’s environmental reclamation programs have substantially diminished terrestrially stored water.
Scientists look to space to track plant pathogens coasting through atmosphere
To better understand how plant pathogens that travel the globe with dust particles might put crops at risk, a Cornell University-led team of scientists will use data from NASA’s Earth Observing Satellites to identify areas of potential disease and track plumes of dust that traverse the globe.
Rutgers Climatologist Can Discuss Role of Snow in Climate System
New Brunswick, N.J. (June 15, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor David A. Robinson is available for interviews on the role of snow in the climate system, snow variability and the extent of snow cover during the satellite era. “The extent of snow on…
Flat-panel technology could transform antennas, wireless and cell phone communications
Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory are reinventing the mirror, at least for microwaves, potentially replacing the familiar 3-D dishes and microwave horns we see on rooftops and cell towers with flat panels that are compact, versatile, and better adapted for modern communication technologies.
Greenland shed ice at unprecedented rate in 2019; Antarctica continues to lose mass
Irvine, Calif., March 18, 2020 – During the exceptionally warm Arctic summer of 2019, Greenland lost 600 billion tons of ice, enough to raise global sea levels by 2.2 millimeters in two months. On the opposite pole, Antarctica continued to lose mass in the Amundsen Sea Embayment and Antarctic Peninsula but saw some relief in the form of increased snowfall in Queen Maud Land, in the eastern part of the continent.
UNH Researchers Find Clues to How Hazardous Space Radiation Begins
University of New Hampshire researchers use data from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe to observe sun’s plasma and energy build up particles released by solar flares – highlight new phase of energizing process leading to radiation hazards.
Satellite constellations harvest energy for near-total global coverage
A National Science Foundation-sponsored collaboration led by Patrick Reed, the Joseph C. Ford Professor of Engineering at Cornell University, has discovered the right combination of factors to make a four-satellite constellation possible, which could drive advances in telecommunication, navigation and remote sensing.
Why It Matters: Space Jam
Space is getting crowded. The biggest challenge is space junk—the debris that results when satellites break up or get shot down. If we aren’t careful, space junk, and space conflict, could cause a lot of problems down here on Earth.
Water scarcity could impact 85% of Africa by 2050, new research shows
Twenty-eight countries in Africa could face water stress or scarcity by 2050, according to research led by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York.
3D-Printed Plastics With High Performance Electrical Circuits
Rutgers engineers have embedded high performance electrical circuits inside 3D-printed plastics, which could lead to smaller and versatile drones and better-performing small satellites, biomedical implants and smart structures. They used pulses of high-energy light to fuse tiny silver wires, resulting in circuits that conduct 10 times more electricity than the state of the art, according to a study in the journal Additive Manufacturing. By increasing conductivity 10-fold, the engineers can reduce energy use, extend the life of devices and increase their performance.