Day: November 21, 2024

Will astronauts need to be rescued from the moon? NASA wants to be prepared just in case

NeRD

NASA wants ideas on how to create emergency response plans for future missions to the moon. The space agency’s South Pole Safety challenge focuses on the development of innovative solutions for a compact, efficient system that astronauts can use in the event of an emergency during extravehicular activities (EVAs) on the lunar surface. Participants are asked to submit technical design concepts that could be adapted for NASA’s Artemis program. “If an astronaut crew member becomes incapacitated during a mission, the ability to return them safely and promptly to the human…

Read More

Early Stage Innovations (ESI) 2024

NeRD

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Back to ESI Home Computational Materials Engineering for Lunar Metals Welding Azadeh HaghighiUniversity of Illinois, ChicagoWeld-ASSIST: Weldability Assessment for In-Space Conditions using a Digital Twin Wei LiUniversity of Texas at DallasIntegrated Computational Materials Modelling Framework for Investigating the Process-Structure-Property Linkage of the Lunar Metal Welding with Internal Defects Passive Lunar Dust Control through Advanced Materials and Surface Engineering SungWoo NamUniversity of California, IrvineDeformable Crumpled Nano-ball Coatings with Adaptable Adhesion and Mechanical Energy Absorption for Lunar Dust Mitigation Chih-Hao ChangUniversity of Texas at AustinEngineering the Adhesion…

Read More

Weld-ASSIST: Weldability Assessment for In-Space Conditions using a Digital Twin

NeRD

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) ESI24 Haghighi Quadchart Azadeh HaghighiUniversity of Illinois, Chicago In-space manufacturing and assembly are vital to NASA’s long-term exploration goals, especially for the Moon and Mars missions. Deploying welding technology in space enables the assembly and repair of structures, reducing logistical burdens and supply needs from Earth. The unique challenges and extreme conditions of space–high thermal variations, microgravity, and vacuum–require advanced welding techniques and computational tools to ensure reliability, repeatability, safety, and structural integrity in one-shot weld scenarios. For the first…

Read More

Integrated Computational Materials Modelling Framework for Investigating the Process-Structure-Property Linkage of the Lunar Metal Welding with Internal Defects

NeRD

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) ESI24 Li Quadchart Wei LiUniversity of Texas at Dallas Internal defects are always formed in laser welding process due to the keyhole instability, molten pool collapse, and rapid solidification. The extreme lunar environment complicates the reliable implementation of welding, thereby enhancing the welding defects formation. The welding defects are critical material barriers preventing the metal components from Moon exploration. Professor Wei Li’s team will establish an integrated computational materials modelling framework to study the process-structure-property linkage of laser welding under…

Read More

Star imaged in detail outside the Milky Way for the 1st time (image, video)

NeRD

Astronomers have captured a “zoomed-in” image of a star outside the Milky Way for the first time. The team brought the vast red supergiant star designated WOH G64 into focus using the Very Large Telescope  Interferometer (VLTI). WOH G64 is located a staggering 160,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite dwarf galaxy companion of the Milky Way. Astronomers have known of the existence of this star for some time, and it has earned the nickname the “behemoth star” because it is an incredible 2,000 times the…

Read More

What’s next for SpaceX’s Starship after its successful 6th test flight?

NeRD

The biggest and most powerful rocket ever built now has six test flights under its belt — and it’s just getting started. SpaceX launched its 400-foot-tall (122-meter-tall) Starship megarocket for the sixth time ever on Tuesday (Nov. 19), sending the giant stainless-steel vehicle skyward from its Starbase site in South Texas. Starship performed well throughout the lengthy trial. Its Super Heavy first stage splashed down softly in the Gulf of Mexico after an issue with the launch tower precluded a planned “chopsticks” catch-landing back at the pad, and the “Ship”…

Read More