Voyager data may reveal trajectory of solar system
Nearly 30 years after launch, the two Voyager spacecraft are still operational and returning useful data. In their early years they produced some of the first close up images of the large outer planets. view more (2006-05-31)
Star on a Hubble diet
How heavy can a star be? This conundrum has haunted astronomers for decades. Theory indicates that there should be an upper stellar mass limit somewhere between 120 and 300 solar masses. Even though heavy stars are very bright, measurements of their masses can be complicated. view more (2006-12-12)
Topical Papers in Biochemical Journal - Selective determination of mitochandrial chelatable iron in viable cells with a new fluorescent sensor
This paper by Petrat and colleagues marks an important advance in our understanding of the regulation of iron in the human body. Real-time changes in the concentration of the ionized form of iron (Fe2+) can now be monitored within the mitochondria of living cells for the first time, thanks to the technique described in this article. For some... view more... (2002-02-08)
Robot plumbs Wisconsin lake on way to Antarctica, jovian moon
A University of Illinois at Chicago scientist will lead a team testing a robotic probe in a polar-style, under-ice exploration that may have out-of-this world applications. view more (2008-02-12)
Industrial collaboration on Uppsala solar cells
In five years' time, the first factory-made solar cell panels developed in Uppsala will be on the market. This can become a reality thanks to a new agreement between three major companies, two investment funds, and a spin-off company from the Uppsala University Ã"¦ngström Solar Center. Swedish solar cell technology has long been on the... view more... (2003-06-27)
University of Alberta and NINT researchers make solar energy breakthrough
The University of Alberta and the National Research Council's National Institute (NINT) for Nanotechnology have engineered an approach that is leading to improved performance of plastic solar cells (hybrid organic solar cells). view more (2009-02-26)
Getting into hot water
An analysis of the engineering and economics for a solar water-heating system shows it to have a payback period of just two years, according to researchers in India. They report, in the International Journal of Global Energy Issues, on the success of the 1000-liter system operating at a university hostel. view more (2009-03-09)
Winds of 320 000 kilometres per hour on the Sun
The SUMER instrument on the ESA-NASA SOHO spacecraft has measured amazing wind speeds during its observations of the Sun. It sets a new record in its examination of two loops of gas arching in the solar atmosphere, where NASA`s TRACE satellite spotted bright blobs of gas. Shifts in the wavelength of ultraviolet light from highly ionized neon... view more... (2002-05-17)
No rest on the way to the most mysterious of Saturn`s moons
After an adventurous 7-year long tour among the planets, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft will arrive at Saturn in July 2004. Once there, Cassini will parachute the Huygens probe to Saturn`s biggest satellite, Titan. Titan is thought to have an atmosphere similar to the primitive Earth. However, both the probe and the Cassini-Huygens team are not in... view more... (2002-08-28)
New efficiency record for solar cells
The efficiency improvement is achieved by the use of an ultra-thin aluminum oxide layer at the front of the cell, and it brings a breakthrough in the use of solar energy a step closer. view more (2008-05-15)
Silicon nanoparticles enhance performance of solar cells
Placing a film of silicon nanoparticles onto a silicon solar cell can boost power, reduce heat and prolong the cell's life, researchers now report. view more (2007-08-21)
Solar Contribution To 'Global Warming' Predicted To Decrease
New research on the sun's contribution to global warming is reported in this month's Astronomy & Geophysics. By looking at solar activity over the last 11,000 years, British Antarctic Survey (BAS) astrophysicist, Mark Clilverd, predicts that the sun's contribution to warming the Earth will reduce slightly over the next 100 years. This is a... view more... (2003-10-01)
Huygens test successful
ESA's Huygens probe, now orbiting Saturn on board the NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini spacecraft, is in good health and successfully passed its fifteenth 'In-Flight Checkout' on 14 September 2004. This in-flight checkout procedure was the last but one planned before separation of the Huygens probe from Cassini in December this year, and it included some... view more... (2004-09-17)
Glowing Accolade For Scottish Solar Physicist
A University of St Andrews solar physicist has been awarded one of the world's most prestigious accolades for his shining contribution to solar theory. Professor Eric Priest of the School of Mathematics and Statistics was this week awarded the Hale Prize 2002, usually awarded every two years by the American Astronomical Society (AAS). It is the... view more... (2002-06-07)
Space technology keeps Nuna II ahead of the pack
The Nuon Solar Team look set to beat their own world record for driving a sun-powered car across Australia in the World Solar Challenge. At the end of day 3 Nuna II, despite two flat tires, finished half an hour ahead of its closest competitors. Nuna II, raced by the Nuon Solar Team, and aided by ESA space technology, reached Cadney Homestead,... view more... (2003-10-21)
Separation Day Arrives for Mars Express and Beagle 2
After a joint journey of 250 million miles (400 million km), the British-built Beagle 2 spacecraft and the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter should now have parted and gone their separate ways. At 8.31 GMT, software on Mars Express was scheduled to send the command for the Beagle 2 lander to separate from the orbiter. This would fire a... view more... (2003-12-19)
Sunny times ahead for cheaper solar power
Greater use of clean electricity from the sun should be a step closer, thanks to new research carried out in the UK. The research has shown how the cost of generating solar electricity can be reduced, laying the foundation for a major expansion in the use of this sustainable energy technology. The project has been undertaken by a team of... view more... (2003-03-27)
DOE outlines research needed to improve solar energy technologies
To help achieve the Bush Administration's goal of increased use of solar and other renewable forms of energy, the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science has released a report describing the basic research needed to produce "revolutionary progress in bringing solar energy to its full potential in the energy marketplace." view more (2005-08-15)
Beagle 2 Information Note: Next Stop Mars!
We have separation! That was the message from the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, to announce that the British-built Beagle 2 spacecraft is now flying independently from its Mars Express "mother ship". Initial confirmation that the separation manoeuvre has been successful came at 10.42 GMT, when Mars... view more... (2003-12-19)
Venus Express en route to probe the planet's hidden mysteries
The European spacecraft Venus Express has been successfully placed into a trajectory that will take it on its journey from Earth towards its destination of the planet Venus, which it will reach next April. view more (2005-11-10)
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