Nasa SPS-ALPHA: The First Practical Solar Power Satellite via Arbitrarily Large PHased Array

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Welcome Googler! 

The idea of space-based solar power has been in research since the early 1970s. I believe this is a doable technology (today) and an inevitable technology that will happen (at some point) and it offers the only large scale chance we have of reducing CO2 from coal use and therefore mitigating climate change.

Here is a cool video that describes John Mankin's vision of the future, that was presented at the National Press Club in Washington DC by the NSS, and is part of the recent NSSO Study:

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*by andreascy* 

NASA Issues Call for Visionary Advanced Technology Concepts

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

NASA's Space Technology Program is looking for far-out ideas. The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts, or NIAC, program is seeking proposals for revolutionary concepts with the potential to transform future aerospace missions. Proposed concepts should enable new capabilities or significantly alter current approaches to launching, building and operating space systems. 

NIAC projects are chosen for their innovative and visionary characteristics, technical substance, and early development stage -- ten years or more from use on a mission. NIAC's current portfolio of diverse and innovative ideas represents multiple technology areas, including power, propulsion, structures and avionics.

"NIAC is a forward-looking program that captures what's great about America's space program," said Michael Gazarik, director of NASA's Space Technology Program at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "NASA is looking for futuristic concepts that may enable leaps forward in how we work in and explore the space frontier. Equally important, we're asking for ideas from all sources: American citizen-inventors or educators working out of their garage to the visionary small business owners fueling our nation's economy."

 

This second call for proposals follows last summer's inaugural selection of Phase I concepts, which are now under study. Due to the tremendous response and large number of submissions received from last year's NIAC call for proposals, this year's Phase I solicitation will incorporate a two-step process. 

 

NIAC will accept short proposals, limited to two pages in length, until Feb. 9. After review, NASA will invite those whose concepts are of interest to the agency to submit a full proposal of no more than ten pages. Full proposals will be due April 16.

 

NASA expects to fund approximately 15 proposals in this year's Phase I process. Those selected will receive up to $100,000 for one year to advance the innovative space technology concept and help NASA meet current operational and future mission requirements. Selection announcements are expected this summer. The solicitation is open to all U.S. citizens and researchers working in the United States, including NASA civil servants.

 

The number of awards will depend on the strength of proposals and availability of appropriated funds. The number of Phase I awards also will be balanced with NASA's selection of Phase II awards. Phase II awards will be selected from Phase I concepts submitted last year that the agency decides to advance. 

 

Past NIAC Phase I proposals have included a broad range of imaginative and creative ideas, including: changing the course of dangerous orbital debris; a spacesuit that uses flywheels to stabilize and assist astronauts as they work in microgravity; the use of 3-dimensional printing to create a planetary outpost; microbial fuel cell technology for powering tiny robot explorers; and other innovative propulsion and power concepts needed for future space mission operations.

 

NASA's early investment and partnership with creative scientists, engineers and citizen inventors will pay huge technological dividends and help maintain America's leadership in the global technology economy.

 

NIAC is part of NASA's Space Technology Program, managed by the Office of the Chief Technologist. To view the NASA Research Announcement for this NIAC Phase I solicitation, and for more information about NIAC and NASA's Space Technology Program, visit this link.

SEE ALSO: NASA Is Seeking For New Astronauts

Stay tuned for more interesting news!

*by andreascy*

30 Stunning Photos of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), is a 27 kilometer (17 mile) long particle accelerator straddling the border of Switzerland and France. Here is a collection of photographs from CERN, showing various stages of completion of the LHC and several of its larger experiments, over the past several years.

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(1) Combining two major ATLAS inner detector components. The semiconductor tracker is inserted into the transition radiation tracker for the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. These make up two of the three major components of the inner detector. They will work together to measure the trajectories produced in the proton-proton collisions at the centre of the detector when the LHC is switched on. Photo taken on February 22nd, 2006. (Maximilien Brice, © CERN)

(2) 

(2) Views of two step of an ultrasound and induction welding to interconnection between two LHC magnet at sector 3-4 during repair operation on March 26th, 2009. (Maximilien Brice, © CERN) 

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(3) Visible damage to the LHC magnets in sector 3-4 of the LHC on November 12th, 2008. On September 19th, 2008, as the LHC was being switched on, a faulty electrical connection between two of the accelerator's magnets caused a large helium leak, which violently vented 6 tons of helium into the tunnel. The resulting temperature rise damaged some 53 magnets. (Maximilien Brice, © CERN) 

(4) 

(4) Detail of some of the damage done to the LHC magnets in sector 3-4 on September 19th, 2008. (Maximilien Brice, © CERN) 

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(5) Moving and placement of a quadrupole at sector 3-4 in the LHC tunnel on April 30th, 2009. (Maximilien Brice, © CERN) 

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(6) A replacement magnet for LHC sector 3-4 being lowered in the tunnel on January 19th, 2009. (Maximilien Brice, © CERN) 

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(7) Moving and placement of a quadrupole at sector 3-4 in the LHC tunnel on April 30th, 2009. (Maximilien Brice, © CERN) 

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(8) Transporting a quadrupole through sector 3-4 in the LHC tunnel on April 30th, 2009. (Maximilien Brice, © CERN) 

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(9) Installation of a new dipole in the LHC tunnel at sector 3-4 on April 6th, 2009. (Maximilien Brice, © CERN) 

(10) 

(10) Detail of one of the LHC's 18-kW 4.5-K refrigerator units, part of the larger cryogenic system used to maintain superfluid helium temperatures of about 1.9k (-271.25° Celsius or -456.25° Fahrenheit). Photograph taken on April 28th, 2008. (Mona Schweizer, © CERN) 

(11)

(11) The silicon strip tracker of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) nears completion. Shown here are three concentric cylinders, each comprised of many silicon strip detetectors (the bronze-coloured rectangular devices, similar to the CCDs used in digital cameras). These surround the region where the protons collide. (© CERN) 

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(12) An automated magnetic tape vault at CERN computer center, seen on September 15th, 2008. The tapes are used to store the complete LHC data set, from which a fraction of the data is copied to overlying disk caches for fast and widespread access. The handling of the magnetic tape cartridges is now fully automated, as they are racked in vaults where they are moved between the storage shelves and the tape drives by robotic arms.(Claudia Marcelloni; Maximilien Brice, © CERN) 

(13)

(13) Final work is done on the detectors inside the L3 magnet of the ALICE experiment on July 10th, 2008. (Mona Schweizer, © CERN) 

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(14) View of the CMS Detector before closure on August 17th, 2008. (Maximilien Brice; Michael Hoch; Joseph Gobin, © CERN) 

(15)

(15) Portrait of Lyn Evans, LHC project Leader, on December 3rd, 2008. (Maximilien Brice, © CERN) 

(16)

(16) Shielding of the L3 magnet, ALICE experiment on July 10th, 2008 (Mona Schweizer, © CERN) 

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(17) Final preparations on a replacement magnet ready to be lowered into sector 3-4 on November 27th, 2008. (Maximilien Brice, © CERN) 

(18)

(18) A tunnel with part of one of the beam dumps of the LHC at point 6. Beam dumps are absorption mechanisms where the powerful beams can be extracted completely from the LHC, consisting of a 7m segmented carbon cylinder, 700mm in diameter, contained in a water-cooled steel cylinder, surrounded by about 750 tons of concrete and iron shielding. The sign at top warns of the presence of helium, argon and/or nitrogen in nearby pipes - gases that (if they leaked out) could displace oxygen and cause unconsciousness. (Maximilien Brice; Claudia Marcelloni, © CERN) 

(19)

(19) Insertion of a Time Of Flight (TOF) module in the upper part of the spaceframe for the ALICE experiment. Charged particles in the intermediate momentum range are identified in ALICE by the TOF detector. The time measurement, in conjunction with the momentum and track length measured by the tracking detectors is used to calculate the particle mass. (Mona Schweizer, © CERN) 

(20)

(20) Detail of the LHCb Magnet, seen on September 5th, 2008. (Peter Ginter, © CERN) 

(21)

(21) A collimater for the LHC. The powerful LHC collimation system protects the accelerator against damage due to unavoidable regular and irregular beam loss. (Claudia Marcelloni, © CERN) 

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(22) View of the LHC machine in the tunnel at the junction part with the beam dump at point 6 on July 25th, 2008. (Maximilien Brice, © CERN) 

(23)

(23) View of the CMS Detector before closure, on August 17th, 2008. (Maximilien Brice; Michael Hoch; Joseph Gobin, © CERN) 

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(24) Last views of the L3 magnet before its closure on June 28th, 2008. Installation of the mini frame of ALICE on 15 May 2009. (Maximilien Brice; Mona Schweizer, © CERN) 

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(25) Closing of the 30-inch-thick, 430 ton L3 door on the I side, ALICE experiment, on June 11th, 2008. (Mona Schweizer, © CERN) 

(26)

(26) A radiofrequency chamber of the LHC. Radiofrequency chambers give a kick to the protons once per circuit to increase their speed. Original here. (Wikimedia user Rama / CC BY-SA) 

(27) 

(27) A fireman examines emergency exit signage in the LHC tunnel on February 21st, 2008, during an exercise with French, Swiss and CERN firemen. (Maximilien Brice, © CERN) 

(28)

(28) Work on the ATLAS semiconductor tracker barrel. Precision work is performed on the semiconductor tracker barrel of the ATLAS experiment. The semiconductor tracker will be mounted in the barrel close to the heart of the ATLAS experiment to detect the path of particles produced in proton-proton collisions. (Maximilien Brice, © CERN) 

(29)

(29) Integration of the three shells into the ATLAS pixel barrel, the innermost tracking device of the experiment. (Claudia Marcelloni, © CERN) 

(30)

(30) Installing the ATLAS calorimeter in November of 2005. The eight torodial magnets can be seen on the huge ATLAS detector with the calorimeter before it is moved into the middle of the detector. This calorimeter will measure the energies of particles produced when protons collide in the centre of the detector. (Maximilien Brice, © CERN) 

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*by andreascy*

NASA Is Seeking For New Astronauts

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

If you have dreamed of joining the Astronaut Corps, now is the time to apply. NASA is continuing space exploration programs that will include missions beyond low Earth orbit. 

NASA, the world's leader in space and aeronautics is always seeking outstanding scientists, engineers, and other talented professionals to carry forward the great discovery process that its mission demands.

Creativity. Ambition. Teamwork. A Sense of Daring. And a Probing Mind. 

That's what it takes to join NASA, one of the best places to work in the Federal Government.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has a need for Astronaut Candidates to support the International Space Station (ISS) Program and future deep space exploration activities. You can find more details on their official link and apply for the Astronaut Candidate Program here.

UPDATE: This position is closed and no longer accepting online applications through USAJOBS.

SEE ALSO: NASA Issues Call for Visionary Advanced Technology Concepts

That was it for today. If you are looking for recent articles please Go here. Comments are optional, of course, but please keep them positive. 

Thanks for passing by! 👋👍

*by andreascy*