February 2019
Simulating lunar and martian regolith in the laboratory
.... ExoMars, due to land in 2021, will drill up to 2 m below the martian surface to search for life in the radiation-shielded subsurface environment. Alongside the drill, the rover hosts a series of analytical instruments including the Mars Organic...
February 2019
The Space Elevator – an alternative path to space?
... oscillations with energy input on the tether. Repair mechanisms and shielding may mitigate the damage created by the flux of smaller debris...crossed slowly enough that human passengers require strong shielding, so the first elevators will be cargo ...
April 2019
LISA Pathfinder – paving the way for future studies of the gravitational universe
... observatory down to 38cm. It used two 2 kg free-falling cubes separated by 38 cm and linked by lasers. The spacecraft acted as a shield around them, protecting them from external sources. It manoeuvred around them using tiny micro-newton thrusters...
February 2020
Aeroshells – from LEO to Mars
...protected from the remaining heat by the forward-facing aeroshell’s thermal shield. This means that, much as the first stage of SpaceX...Space Systems. The back shell (grey cone) and heat shield (brown disc) form a protective enclosure around the stowed...
February 2023
How to grow plants in a spacecraft
.... While radiation can be contained using lead and/or water shields, this represents an additional mass to place in orbit. ...Base Camp (2018), is to use fuel storage as a radiation shield. Microgravity, on the other hand, does not impair plant growth ...
September 2023
How microorganisms survive space travel
...experiments. It is also necessary to provide a heat shield for the containers to prevent overheating of the cups containing...are very small, it is important to note that the shielding effect (presence of filters) increases the chances of microorganisms...
