Saturday 6 February 2016

Graphene is strong, but is it tough?

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Scientists have developed the first known statistical theory for the toughness of polycrystalline graphene, which is made with chemical vapor deposition, and found that it is indeed strong, but more importantly, its toughness -- or resistance to fracture -- is quite low.
via Science Daily

Five Planets at Castell de Burriac

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February's five planet line-up stretches across a clear sky in this predawn scene. A hilltop Castell de Burriac looms in the foreground, overlooking the town of Cabrera de Mar near Barcelona, Spain, planet Earth. The mosaicked, panoramic image looks south. It merges three different exposure times to record a bright Last Quarter Moon, planets, seaside city lights, and dark castle ruins. Seen on February 1st the Moon was near Mars on the sky. But this week early morning risers have watched it move on, passing near Saturn and finally Venus and Mercury, sliding along near the ecliptic toward the dawn, approaching the February 7 New Moon.

Zazzle Space Gifts for young and old

Edgar D. Mitchell, Sixth Moonwalking Astronaut, Dies at 85

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Commander Mitchell, a member of NASA’s first lunar mission devoted exclusively to scientific research, Apollo 14, spent just over nine hours on the moon on two moonwalks.










via New York Times