Tuesday 18 July 2017

Last command

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LISA Pathfinder principal investigator Stefano Vitale sends the final command to the spacecraft, shutting it down after successfully demonstrating the technology to build ESA's future gravitational wave observatory
via ESA Space Science
http://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2017/07/Last_command

Space station project seeks to crystalize the means to counteract nerve poisons

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The microgravity conditions of the International Space Station (ISS) may hold the key to improving our understanding of how to combat toxic nerve agents such as sarin and VX.
via Science Daily
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Starry Wingtip of Small Magellanic Cloud Barely There iPhone 6 Case

Starry Wingtip of Small Magellanic Cloud Barely There iPhone 6 Case
Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series: The tip of the "wing" of the Small Magellanic Cloud galaxy is dazzling in this new view from NASA's Great Observatories. The Small…


Ancient, massive asteroid impact could explain Martian geological mysteries

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A colossal impact with a large asteroid early in Mars' history may have ripped off a chunk of the northern hemisphere and left behind a legacy of metallic elements in the planet's interior. The crash also created a ring of rocky debris around Mars that may have later clumped together to form its moons, Phobos and Deimos.
via Science Daily
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Thunder Moon over Pisa

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What's wrong with this picture? If you figure it out, you may then realize where the image was taken. The oddity lies actually in one of the buildings -- it leans. The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been an iconic legend since shortly after its construction began in the year 1173. Now part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, folklore holds that Galileo used the leaning tower to dramatically demonstrate the gravitational principle that objects of different mass fall the same. Between the Leaning Tower of Pisa on the right and Pisa Cathedral and the Pisa Baptistery on the left, a full "Thunder" moon was visible last week when the image was taken. Using modern analyses, the tower has been successfully stabilized and, barring the unexpected, should hold its present tilt for the next 200 years.

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Graphenea opens new graphene oxide pilot plant

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Graphenea announces the opening of its new graphene oxide (GO) pilot plant with 1 tonne per annum production capacity. Although Graphenea is already producing GO dispersion, powder, and films, the new plant significantly increases production capacity, simultaneously allowing for higher quality and batch-to-batch reproducibility. The plant houses in-line quality control of each individual batch.

Although the production volume is large, the new plant can accommodate custom requirements regarding flake size, oxygen levels, and other specifications. Orders for multi-kilogram quantities will be processed with short delivery times. The production capacity is multiplied by 20 times compared to capabilities before the pilot plant, allowing for development and industrial scale supplies.

Importantly, Graphenea offers GO customization for integrating into different polymer matrices. This is an important new capability that brings the company a step closer to satisfying the growing graphene/polymer composite market. Polymer composites possess numerous mechanical and thermal benefits, holding potential for industries such as construction, aerospace, packaging, etc. The polymer additive industry is currently worth about €50 billion.

This is a new step in Graphenea's GO roadmap. The next step is to build a 500 tonne/year industrial plant. The pilot plant construction was funded by the EU Horizon 2020 program “SME Instrument” project GO4APP.

New plant benefits

  • Large-scale production of GO allows entry to the advanced polymers industry;
  • Production capacity increase 20-fold;
  • Dramatic reduction in GO cost, increasing the production scale and supporting applications development;
  • Producing tailor made GO materials to improve compatibility with different matrices, leading to a broad range of applications;
  • Improving the mechanical, electrical and thermal properties of advanced polymers;
  • Creating a cost-competitive final advanced polymer composites new market category using GO additives.

About Graphenea

Graphenea, a leading graphene producer venture backed by Repsol, was established in 2010, and has since grown to be one of the world's largest providers of graphene. The company is headquartered at the nanotechnology cluster CIC nanoGune in San Sebastian, Spain and the MIT campus in Cambridge, Boston, MA. Graphenea employs 25 people and exports graphene materials to more than 600 customers in 55 countries. The company has focused on constant improvement of graphene quality, becoming a supplier customers can rely on. Graphenea employs a team of skilled laboratory staff who have brought graphene production techniques to a new level. The company produces CVD graphene wafers and graphene oxide. Graphenea partners with large multinationals to develop custom graphene materials for their applications. Its research agility and ability to keep pace with the progress of graphene science and technology has allowed Graphenea to become a core partner in the Graphene Flagship, a ten year project of the European Commission worth a billion euros. The company keeps a close relation with the world's leading scientists, regularly publishing scientific articles of the highest level and holds a strong patent portfolio.


via Graphenea

Spiral galaxy NGC 1232 and Little Theta Tote Bag

Spiral galaxy NGC 1232 and Little Theta Tote Bag
Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series: A fantastic bag featuring a stunning, mind-blowing image of the large spiral galaxy NGC 1232. It is based on three exposures in ultra-violet,…


New brown dwarf discovered by citizen science project

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One night three months ago, Rosa Castro finished her dinner, opened her laptop, and uncovered a novel object that was neither planet nor star. Therapist by day and amateur astronomer by night, Castro joined the NASA-funded Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 citizen science project when it began in February -- not knowing she would become one of four volunteers to help identify the project's first brown dwarf, formally known as WISEA J110125.95+540052.8.
via Science Daily
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