July 2021
Nitrous oxide – a green propellant for commercial space exploration
... by smell. Experiments with a liquid blend of ammonia and nitrous oxide (monopropellants referred to as ‘monergols’) resulted in numerous explosions that destroyed the thrusters being tested. The by-product of this work, named ‘Divers’ solution’, has...
October 2021
Space in the movies – lessons for spacefarers
... relates the tale of the ill-fated third attempt at a Moon landing with almost documentary accuracy. A violent explosion rocks the spacecraft, leading to an urgent scramble at Mission Control to rescue the three marooned astronauts before their...
November 2021
Space launch emergency response
... chemicals that may be used in spaceflight activities. The storage, transfer and fuelling of rockets with highly reactive or explosive fuels, coupled with the potential release of highly toxic gases and poisonous products of combustion from these...
January 2022
Revealing the magnetic universe
... the amplification of this ‘seed’ field, for example via galaxy formation, mergers, accretion flows and supernovae explosions, as well as the feedback associated with all these processes, is required to produce the field we observe today. This...
