Sci-Tech

NASA names next Mars rover ‘Perseverance’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — NASA on Thursday announced the name of its next Mars rover: Perseverance. It will be the fifth exploratory vehicle on the Red Planet following in the tire tracks of the similarly augustly titled Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity. The name was announced at an event at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia, to congratulate Alex Mather, the seventh-grade student who picked it. “Alex’s entry captured the spirit of exploration,” […]

Australia developing satellite to predict bushfire danger zones

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australian scientists are developing the country’s first satellite designed to predict where bushfires are likely to start, following months of devastating fires. The Australian National University said Wednesday a team is creating a “shoebox-sized” satellite that will measure forest ground cover and moisture levels using infrared detectors. It is hoped the data will help determine where bushfires are likely to start and where they may be difficult to contain. The technology […]

Australia developing satellite to predict bushfire danger zones

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australian scientists are developing the country’s first satellite designed to predict where bushfires are likely to start, following months of devastating fires. The Australian National University said Wednesday a team is creating a “shoebox-sized” satellite that will measure forest ground cover and moisture levels using infrared detectors. It is hoped the data will help determine where bushfires are likely to start and where they may be difficult to contain. The technology […]

Blast off: space minnow Indonesia eyes celestial success

by Peter BRIEGER LUMAJANG, Indonesia (AFP) — Workers snap the miniature rocket’s wings into place as Indonesia’s little-known space agency readies its latest launch on barren scrubland in East Java. With a 3,2,1 blast off, the two-meter-long projectile belches a trail of fire and then soars a few hundred meters before crashing in a heap — earning a thumbs up from scientists who declared the test a success. It’s a very long way from Mission […]

Earth captures new ‘mini moon’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Earth has acquired a second “mini-moon” about the size of a car, according to astronomers who spotted the object circling our planet. The mass — roughly 1.9-3.5 meters (6-11 feet) in diameter — was observed by researchers Kacper Wierzchos and Teddy Pruyne at the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona on the night of February 15. “BIG NEWS. Earth has a new temporarily captured object/Possible mini-moon called 2020 CD3,” likely […]

Katherine Johnson, black NASA mathematician, dies at 101

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Katherine Johnson, a ground-breaking black NASA mathematician whose life was portrayed in the movie “Hidden Figures,” died on Monday aged 101, the space agency said. Johnson’s calculations helped put the first man on the Moon in 1969, but she was little known until the Oscar-nominated 2016 movie that told the stories of three black women who worked at NASA. “She was an American hero and her pioneering legacy will never […]

Trembling Mars gives up more seismic secrets

  PARIS, France (AFP) — Mars is a constantly tremoring “living” body, researchers said Monday as they unveiled measurements of seismic activity on the red planet showing similar tremble rates to Earth or the Moon. For 15 months NASA’s InSight robot craft scoured the surface of Earth’s neighbour, and measured hundreds of so-called “Marsquakes”. These included several tremors that contained the same frequency patterns as tremors caused by the movement of Earth’s own tectonic plates. […]

WWI helmet was better blast protection than new one: US study

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A helmet used by French soldiers in World War I provided better protection from overhead blasts than a modern American model, according to a US university study. Biomedical engineers from North Carolina’s Duke University tested the performance of several models of World War I helmet and the US Advanced Combat Helmet by subjecting them to shock waves. “While we found that all helmets provided a substantial amount of protection against […]

SpaceX announces partnership to send four tourists into deep orbit

by Ivan Couronne Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — SpaceX announced a new partnership Tuesday to send four tourists deeper into orbit than any private citizen before them, in a mission that could take place by 2022 and easily cost more than $100 million. The company signed the deal with Space Adventures, which is based in Washington and served as an intermediary to send eight space tourists to the International Space Station (ISS) via […]

‘Jetman’ stuns with Iron Man-style flight over Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Daredevil Vince Reffet has soared into the skies above Dubai in the latest “Jetman” stunt, taking off from the ground and climbing to 1,800metres (nearly 6,000 feet) in a feat reminiscent of Marvel’s “Iron Man” and hailed as a world first. Reffet and his collaborators, known as “Jetman”, have literally scaled new heights with the help of jetpacks and carbon-fiber wings, staging a series of aerial displays that send […]

Stardust or star bust? Betelgeuse’s dimming light puzzles astronomers

PARIS, France (AFP) — Astronomers have managed to take pictures of Betelgeuse showing that the star, one of the brightest in the Milky Way, has been losing luminosity over recent months, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) said on Friday. The mysterious dimming of one of the most visible stars in the Orion constellation has astronomers scratching their heads, with some saying Betelgeuse could be about to explode while others point to passing conditions. “The stunning […]

US defense chief warns NATO of China’s Huawei ‘threat’, asks allies not to allow it to build new 5G networks

by Damon WAKE Agence France Presse MUNICH, Germany (AFP) — Top US officials fired a fresh broadside at Huawei on Saturday, warning the Chinese tech giant posed a threat to NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)  if allies allowed it to build new 5G communications networks. Washington has been pressing European allies hard to ban Huawei, one of the world’s largest tech firms, from next-generation mobile data networks, saying it is a security risk. A day […]