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Science and Education
NASA's Cassini discovers potential liquid water on Enceladus
By Mike Hanlon
March 11, 2006 NASA's Cassini spacecraft may have found evidence of liquid water reservoirs that erupt in Yellowstone-like geysers on Saturn's moon Enceladus. The rare occurrence of liquid water so near the surface raises many new questions about the mysterious moon. "We realize that this is a radical conclusion -- that we may have evidence for liquid water within a body so small and so cold," said Dr. Carolyn Porco, Cassini imaging team leader at Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. "However, if we are right, we have significantly broadened the diversity of solar system environments where we might possibly have conditions suitable for living organisms." High-resolution Cassini images show icy jets and towering plumes ejecting large quantities of particles at high speed. Scientists examined several models to explain the process. They ruled out the idea that the particles are produced by or blown off the moon's surface by vapor created when warm water ice converts to a gas. Instead, scientists have found evidence for a much more exciting possibility -- the jets might be erupting from near-surface pockets of liquid water above 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit), like cold versions of the Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone. Read More
SkyScout – the next step in telescope functionality
By Mike Hanlon
August 5, 2005 Stand by for a significant leap forward in telescope functionality. Telescope manufacturer Celestron has signed a global licensing agreement to incorporate “revolutionary new technology” from a company named Yamcon into a variety of its products. Yamcon has been granted three U.S. patents on technology that allows a device to instantly and accurately identify and/or locate any celestial object visible to the naked eye. The technology combines data from sensors measuring both the magnetic and gravitational fields of the Earth, along with GPS and a substantial celestial database. The first product to be released, the SkyScout, is a handheld device that can instantly identify and/or locate any celestial object visible to the naked eye, providing descriptions in a multimedia, planetarium-like experience. Celestron will launch the SkyScout at the International CES show in January of 2006. The groundbreaking technology patented by Yamcon is covered by US Patents 6,366,212, 6,570,506 and 6,844,822 (images and patent links in story) and will further the cause of astronomy more than any invention since the telescope, opening the way for future generations to explore the wonders of space. Read More
Sandia Lab’s Z machine: the fastest gun in the west
By Mike Hanlon
June 10, 2005 Scientists at the United States Sandia National Nuclear Security Administration Labs have accelerated a small plate from zero to 76,000 mph in less than a second. Sandia’s Z Machine is sometimes referred to as the fastest gun in the West but is actually the fastest in the world, and it is now able to propel small plates at 34 kilometers a second, faster than the 30 km/sec that Earth travels through space in its orbit about the sun, 50 times faster than a rifle bullet, and three times the velocity needed to escape Earth’s gravitational field. The immediate purpose of these very rapid flights is to help understand the extreme conditions found within the interiors of the giant planets Saturn and Jupiter, hasten the achievement of virtually unlimited energy through peacetime atomic fusion, and provide more information about the condition of the U.S. nuclear stockpile without having to explode a nuclear weapon. Read More
Moss Project shows how some plants grow without gravity
By Mike Hanlon
January 30, 2005 Experiments on moss grown aboard two Space Shuttle missions showed the plants didn't behave as scientists expected them to in the near-absence of gravity. The common roof moss (Ceratodon purpureus) grew in striking, clockwise spirals, according to Fred Sack. He is the study's lead investigator and professor of plant cellular and molecular biology at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Read More
Better rug up dear, it's minus 200 degrees, and raining methane
By Mike Hanlon
23 January 2005 Last week, the European Space Agency's's Huygens probe made an historic first ever descent to the surface of Titan, the largest of Saturn's moons, some1.2 billion kilometres from Earth. Data coming from the probe shows the physical processes shaping Titan are much the same as those shaping Earth - precipitation, erosion, mechanical abrasion and other fluvial activity. The images being processed and interpreted by scientists around the world from the Huygens data are astounding. The rivers in this image are not water - they are METHANE! If you fancy a quick trip to Titan, check out these videos. Read More
Huygens begins its final journey into the unknown
By Mike Hanlon
3 January 2005 Global cooperation will see yet another frontier breached in the next week as the European Space Agency's Huygens probe makes its descent towards the surface of Saturn's largest and most mysterious moon, Titan. The European Space Agency's Huygens probe was successfully released by NASA's Cassini orbiter on Christmas Day and is now on a controlled collision course toward Titan, where on 14 January it will make a descent through one of the most intriguing atmospheres in the solar system to an unknown surface. This will be the first man-made object to explore in-situ this unique environment, whose chemistry is assumed to be very similar to that of the early Earth just before life began, 3.8 billion years ago. Read More
Rapid Micro Product Development grows parts on demand
By Gizmag Team
November 29, 2004 Miniaturised components are used in bio-technology, surgery, optics, neuro-physiology and other developing fields that rely heavily on micro-technology. Cost-effective and rapid production of high-resolution three-dimensional micro-structures is now possible all the way down to the sub-nanometer range thanks to Rapid Micro Product Development (RMPD), a generative production method developed by German company microTEC. Read More
Murphy's Law finally written down in an equation
By Mike Hanlon
Murphy's Law has finally been written down in an equation. One of the seeming fundamental laws of mankind "if anything can go wrong, it will" is known by many names, most commonly as Murphy's law. This can now be written as ((U+C+I) x (10-S))/20 x A x 1/(1-sin(F/10)) where U=urgency, C=complexity, I=importance, S=skill, A=aggravation and F=frequency Read More
Nikon School offers correspondence learning
By Mike Hanlon
The Nikon School offers correspondence courses for photography but enrolment has many benefits beyond the joy of learning - as the course is recognised by Adobe as an educational institution, students are entitled to purchase Adobe software at significantly reduced "Educational Prices". The study combines monthly lecture notes posted to participants with set assignments that are assessed and then returned by the tutorial team. Enrolment is open to all, regardless of SLR or digital camera equipment or skill level. Read More
Map of the universe revealed
By Mike Hanlon
Given that most distant object yet observed by modern astronomy is a quasar about 250,000 billion billion kilometres away, creating a map of the observable universe is the ultimate challenge of scale. But Richard Gott has found a solution to the problem and the results will be published as a pull-out map in the latest edition of New Scientist. Read More
Gizmo receives Inaugural B2Bcafe Black Box Innovation Award
By Mike Hanlon
Gizmo Magazine was one of the four winners of the inaugural B2Bcafe Black Box Innovation Awards at Federation Square in Melbourne last night. Dr David Warren, the Australian inventor behind the Black Box Flight Recorder presented the four awards open to innovators across all industry sectors. Read More
rob yates
- November 26, 2009 @ 12:49 UTC
