Mars’s Polar Ice Is Cleaner Than Estimated
A 1.5-kilometer ice-cream sandwich. According to the University of Washington, whose release Astrobiology.com reproduced, the north pole of Mars is built as a deposit 1.5 kilometers thick: slabs of almost pure ice, 0.05 to 0.5 percent dust, alternating with beds where dust makes up 25 to 75 percent. The portrait comes from a study by Pari Mohan and Aditya Khuller, published in npj Space Exploration. Continuer de lire Mars’s Polar Ice Is Cleaner Than Estimated
A Digital Passport for 3D-Printed Space Parts
Printing is the easy part. Making a metal rocket part with a 3D printer is no longer the hard step; proving it will hold is. Continuer de lire A Digital Passport for 3D-Printed Space Parts
On Tiangong, Even the Lettuce Seeds Need a Grip
Gardening with tweezers is harder than it looks. Aboard China’s Tiangong space station, tiny lettuce seeds tend to float away the moment an astronaut picks them up. Continuer de lire On Tiangong, Even the Lettuce Seeds Need a Grip
How Water Flows on the Moon, Tested in a Spinning Capsule
Pour a glass on the Moon. Water does not behave there the way it does on Earth. Continuer de lire How Water Flows on the Moon, Tested in a Spinning Capsule
A Moon Reactor That Treats Heat as a Budget
Traditional lunar base plans lose about 60 percent of their energy as waste heat on the way to electricity. Universe Today reports on a preprint by Julius Mercz and colleagues at the Technical University of Munich that does the opposite. Continuer de lire A Moon Reactor That Treats Heat as a Budget
Recycled Plastic and Moon Dust Make a Printable Wrench
Trash to treasure. A lunar printing material that starts out as scrap plastic: that is what Concordia University researchers Farshad Malekpour and Mehdi Hojjati report, according to EurekAlert! Continuer de lire Recycled Plastic and Moon Dust Make a Printable Wrench
Why Aspirin Is Not So Harmless in a Spacesuit
The painkiller that hides the alarm. An aspirin before a spacewalk sounds harmless. NASA’s Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer (OCHMO) wants it governed anyway. Continuer de lire Why Aspirin Is Not So Harmless in a Spacesuit
Orbit’s Tow Truck Has a Gecko Grip and a Math Problem
Orbit needs a tow truck. Forbes reported on September 18 that a Michigan start-up, KMI Space, is building REACCH, a spacecraft with tentacle-like arms that end in gecko-inspired grip pads. Continuer de lire Orbit’s Tow Truck Has a Gecko Grip and a Math Problem
NASA Sends a Survival Guide to the Moon Before the Base
Survival school comes first. Before pouring any foundation, NASA wants to learn how to get through the lunar night. Continuer de lire NASA Sends a Survival Guide to the Moon Before the Base
The Moon’s First Salad Bar Starts With an Airlock
Salad, with a door. The next lunar base may come with its own vegetable patch. Continuer de lire The Moon’s First Salad Bar Starts With an Airlock
