November 2020
Walking on the Moon
... hopes this notional target will be exceeded. The rover’s payload includes a high-definition camera and a LIDAR (laser-based measuring device). An additional aspect of this first mission – especially important in this age of social media...
July 2021
Arecibo - an astounding legacy
... galaxy, which has merged with another galaxy and is undergoing a burst of star formation. A maser is analogous to a laser – an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation – with the light ‘replaced’ by radiation at microwave...
October 2021
Russia and China – a new space axis
...on the upcoming Luna missions: Luna 25 (Switzerland); Luna 26 (Slovakia); Luna 28 (Germany); with the largest contribution, a laser landing system, drill, sample handler and analyser on Luna 27 (Britain and Italy). However, this is hardly a programme...
February 2023
Remote sensing by satellite - People’s Republic of China
...band SAR. GF 5 has six sensors, including a hyper spectral camera and a directional polarisation camera. The extra laser altimeter system on GF7 enables three-dimensional research. Resolution capabilities and other information about Gaofen satellites...
April 2024
The promise of space-based LiDAR
...of the electromagnetic spectrum. Historically, LiDAR technology has been employed on aircraft or ground-based platforms, using laser pulses to measure distances with extreme precision. This approach creates detailed, real-time, three-dimensional maps...
April 2024
Terraformal dreaming
..., or paint them with black soot, or cover them with lichens, or blast them with solar-powered space lasers… or, if Musk has his way, ‘nuke’ them with ten thousand missiles. Either way, planetary scientist Christopher...
