Author: NeRD

Hubble Spies a Cosmic Eye

NeRD

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the spiral galaxy NGC 2566. ESA/NASA This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the spiral galaxy NGC 2566, which sits 76 million light-years away in the constellation Puppis. A prominent bar of stars stretches across the center of this galaxy, and spiral arms emerge from each end of the bar. Because NGC 2566 appears tilted from our perspective, its disk takes on an almond shape, giving the galaxy the appearance of a cosmic eye. As NGC 2566 appears to gaze at us, astronomers gaze right…

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How to use monoculars for stargazing

NeRD

Monoculars are basically a half pair of binoculars and can be a super compact way for you to enjoy stargazing wherever your travels take you. Because of their small size, monoculars are highly portable, meaning that you don’t have to worry about lagging a heavy telescope to a dark sky site to enjoy some skywatching. Monoculars use a lens and prism system to magnify an image for the user. They are great for beginner stargazers due to their simple operation: point your monocular at your subject, and look through it.…

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Lego Marvel Avengers Helicarrier review

NeRD

Essential info Price: $79.99/£69.99 Model number: 76295 Number of pieces: 509 Dimensions: 7 x 13 x 8.5 inches (18 x 33 x 22cm) Recommended age: 18+ It’s safe to say that the Lego Marvel Avengers Helicarrier won’t be finding a place in our list of the best Lego Marvel sets any time soon. It’s a real shame too: when the Helicarrier was first announced, I was very excited about it. I’d missed out on the huge Helicarrier when it retired in 2017, so getting another model of it — a…

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‘Silo’ scores a third and fourth season from Apple TV+

NeRD

Apple TV+ has achieved a quiet confidence with its galaxy of science fiction programming over the past few years, bolstered by an impressive roster of compelling series such as “Foundation,” “Invasion,” “For All Mankind,” “Hello, Tomorrow!,” and the most recent must-watch endeavor, “Silo.” This past week, fans were thrilled to hear the fantastic pre-holiday news that Apple TV+ has shown its boundless confidence in the show’s future by ordering up not just one, but two more seasons to finish out its extraordinary survival saga. Now mid-way through its second season…

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Scientists await signal from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe after historic close sun flyby. Will it phone home?

NeRD

On the heels of a NASA spacecraft’s historic close flyby of the sun on Christmas Eve, scientists on Earth have one question on their minds: Did their probe survive as an epic Christmas gift, or is it a burned up lump of coal in space? For a few days, they simply won’t know, at least not until the spacecraft — NASA’s Parker Solar Probe — phones home with a simple “status beacon” on Friday (Dec. 27) to let its science team know it’s okay. But scientists behind the spacecraft’s sun…

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Just a fraction of the hydrogen hidden beneath Earth’s surface could power Earth for 200 years, scientists find

NeRD

A mountain of hydrogen is lurking beneath Earth’s surface — and scientists say that just a fraction of it could break our dependence on fossil fuels for 200 years. New research suggests the planet holds around 6.2 trillion tons (5.6 trillion metric tons) of hydrogen in rocks and underground reservoirs. That’s roughly 26 times the amount of oil known to be left in the ground (1.6 trillion barrels, each weighing approximately 0.15 tons) — but where these hydrogen stocks are located remains unknown. Most of the hydrogen is likely too…

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NASA Runs X-59 Engine in Maximum Afterburner

NeRD

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft completed its first maximum afterburner test at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. This full-power test, during which the engine generates additional thrust, validates the additional power needed for meeting the testing conditions of the aircraft. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to overcome a major barrier to supersonic flight over land by reducing the noise of sonic booms.

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Mechanical Systems TDT Support Reaches Across NASA Programs

NeRD

The NESC Mechanical Systems TDT provides broad support across NASA’s mission directorates. We are a diverse group representing a variety of sub-disciplines including bearings, gears, metrology, lubrication and tribology, mechanism design, analysis and testing, fastening systems, valve engineering, actuator engineering, pyrotechnics, mechatronics, and motor controls. In addition to providing technical support, theTDT owns and maintains NASA-STD-5017, “Design and Development Requirements for Space Mechanisms.” Mentoring the Next GenerationThe NESC Mechanical Systems TDT actively participates in the Structures, Loads & Dynamics, Materials, and Mechanical Systems (SLAMS) Early Career Forum that mentors early-career…

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NESC Assists in Heatshield Investigation

NeRD

NASA’s uncrewed Artemis I mission launched from KSC on November 16, 2022. After a successful mission that included orbiting the Moon, the Orion spacecraft returned to Earth splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on December 11, 2022. While the spacecraft made a safe return to Earth, postflight inspection of Orion’s thermal protection indicated that the base heatshield did not perform as expected. The heatshield is composed of Avcoat, an ablative material designed to protect the crew module during the nearly 5000ºF temperatures experienced during atmospheric entry upon return from the…

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Laboratory Director Tawnya Plummer Laughinghouse

NeRD

“When I transitioned from Spelman to Georgia Tech, it was probably the first time in my life that I had a professor that made me question if I belonged or had what it takes. Previously, I was always used as an example of how students should study, and now, in my first chemical engineering class, I would raise my hand for a question and wouldn’t get recognized, or my question would be followed by, ‘I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying, Miss Plummer.’ “I was struggling with imposter syndrome…

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