Posts Tagged ‘satellites’

Smallest space telescope will look for ‘starquakes’

U. TORONTO (CAN) — The smallest astronomical satellite ever built, weighing less than 7 kilograms (15.5 pounds), launched Monday, February 25. Continue…

Monday, February 25, 2013 18:26 - 0 Comments

Earth & Environment - Nov 30, 2012 12:02 - 2 Comments

At both poles, ice melt is speeding up

U. LEEDS (UK) / CALTECH (US) — Ice sheet melting has increased over time and, altogether, Greenland and Antarctica are now losing more than three times as much ice as they were in the 1990s. (more…)

Science & Technology - Oct 31, 2012 11:47 - 0 Comments

For better body armor, let tiny bullets fly

RICE (US) — Researchers are firing microscale ammo in an effort to identify materials that can offer better protection to soldiers, aircrafts, and satellites. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Feb 8, 2012 15:47 - 4 Comments

Glaciers shed billions of tons, satellites show

U. COLORADO-BOULDER (US) — Ice caps and glaciers outside the regions of Greenland and Antarctica are shedding roughly 150 billion tons of ice annually. (more…)

Science & Technology - Dec 30, 2011 12:13 - 0 Comments

Robotic surgery for run-down satellites

JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — A technology developed for delicate abdominal surgeries someday may be used to repair satellites in space, say researchers. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Dec 13, 2011 12:37 - 0 Comments

Night lights pinpoint disease outbreaks

PRINCETON (US) — Researchers are using satellite images of nighttime lights to keep tabs on disease hotspots in developing nations. (more…)

Science & Technology - Sep 12, 2011 11:44 - 0 Comments

Solar flares keep going and going

U. COLORADO-BOULDER (US) — Energy from solar flares is stronger and can last up to five hours longer than previously thought, according to data from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. (more…)

Satellite killers: Meteoroids vs. space junk

STANFORD (US) — Billions of tiny meteoroids do more damage to satellites and other spacecraft than all the space junk orbiting Earth, according to new research. (more…)

Earth & Environment - May 18, 2011 11:56 - 0 Comments

Satellite tracks 25 years of giant kelp

UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — A quarter century of images are giving an unprecedented view of the ebb and flow of giant kelp forests, which can be entirely wiped out in days, but fully recover in months. (more…)

Science & Technology - May 6, 2011 14:42 - 1 Comment

Gravity probe gives props to Einstein

STANFORD (US) — One of NASA’s longest-running projects comes to a close, confirming two predictions of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jan 30, 2011 21:02 - 0 Comments

Cheaper, lighter satellite antennas

PENN STATE (US) — Using metamaterials to update horn antennas on communications satellites could make them more energy efficient and less expensive to put in space. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jan 3, 2011 13:01 - 0 Comments

Why tiny meteoroids cause big problems

STANFORD (US) — What happens when a really tiny meteoroid (so small a stack of 500 would stand less than an inch tall) hits a satellite? No one is really sure, but a new canopy device could provide answers. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Dec 14, 2010 12:10 - 0 Comments

From space, keep tabs on groundwater

STANFORD (US) — Researchers have found a way to use satellites to see past crops and check water systems underground for signs of overuse. (more…)

Science & Technology - Feb 8, 2010 15:05 - 2 Comments

NASA launching tools to forecast solar activity

U. COLORADO (US)—An instrument package set for launch by NASA on Feb. 10 is expected to give scientists a better understanding of the sun’s impact on space weather. (more…)

Science & Technology - Feb 3, 2010 13:42 - 2 Comments

Satellite images guide Haiti relief efforts

U. TEXAS (US)—In the days following the Haiti earthquake, satellite and aerial imagery, along with elevation data, helped first responders distribute aid and medical care and conduct search and rescue missions. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Feb 2, 2010 23:30 - 5 Comments

California’s troubled waters

UC IRVINE (US)—Space observations reveal that since October 2003, the aquifers for California’s primary agricultural region—the Central Valley—and its major mountain water source—the Sierra Nevada—have lost nearly enough water combined to fill Lake Mead, America’s largest reservoir. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Nov 11, 2009 18:09 - 1 Comment

Pacific white sharks stick to familiar waters

STANFORD (US)—The white shark may be the ultimate loner of the ocean, cruising thousands of miles in a solitary trek, but a team of researchers has discovered that white sharks in the northeastern Pacific Ocean have separated themselves into a population genetically distinct from sharks elsewhere in the world. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Nov 2, 2009 10:50 - 0 Comments

Mapping the bottom of the world

U. MINNESOTA (US)—Penguin poop has a reddish tint that makes colonies and trails stand out on satellite images. That’s a boon to researchers who want to identify and keep track of remote, inaccessible colonies. But to do so, they need somebody to turn satellite images into maps. (more…)

Society & Culture - Sep 15, 2009 1:00 - 3 Comments

From space, signs of a brighter economy

BROWN (US)—Outer space offers a new perspective for measuring economic growth, according to research by three economists. Using satellite images of nighttime lights, the researchers offer a new framework for estimating a country or region’s gross domestic product, or GDP. (more…)