February 2016
Nuclear Flashlamps in Space
... anything nearby. The nuclear reactions at the heart of the explosion release a burst of radiation of every kind: gamma rays and X-rays, which are very high energy particles (photons) of light, as well as lots of less energetic light in ultraviolet...
March 2016
Gravitational waves provide new window on the universe
... of two neutron stars, or a neutron with a black hole. With it, we might be able to observe gamma ray light emitted from a short gamma ray burst. If so, it will be the first detection between gravitational waves and its coincident electromagnetic...
March 2016
Space Mining – the Reality of Tomorrow?
...In considering the future, one might do well to consider Ray Kurzweil and his prediction about the coming ‘Singularity’ or those... Month time. When Peter Diamandis talks of abundance and Ray Kurzweil of singularity, they are suggesting a world that ...
June 2017
Bepi-Colombo will unveil Mercury’s secrets
... the topography and surface morphology of Mercury. Instruments include the Mercury Gamma-ray and Neutron Spectrometer (MGNS), the Mercury Imaging X-ray Spectrometer (MIXS) and the Search for Exosphere Refilling and Emitted Neutral Abundances...
August 2017
Big science from small spacecraft
...-IR; microwave radiometers; sub-mm-wave spectrometers; short wavelength radars; GPS radio occultation; mass spectrometers; gamma ray and X-ray spectrometers; and optical communication lasers that can be used for occultation. That’s quite a rich suite...
August 2018
Measuring the pulse of Mars
... or waves are of immense scientific interest as they help scientists to scan the planet’s interior in a similar way that an x-ray reveals the insides of a human body One of InSight’s primary objectives is to study seismic waves that originate either...
