Since most foam materials are made of petrochemical plastics, they aren’t very climate-friendly. But now an alternative is
The post Wood-derived foam materials has been published on Technology Org.
#materials
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Wednesday, 13 May 2015
SpaceX’s crewed Dragon spacecraft is ready for its first real test on May 6
Science Focus
original post »SpaceX has announced that the first major test of its Crew Dragon (aka Dragon V2) is expected to take place tomorrow, May 6, from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) in Cape Canaveral.
For the first launch of the Crew Dragon capsule, SpaceX will be performing what's known as a pad abort test, which will test the capsule's launch abort capabilities. While the next test after this one (the in-flight abort test) will launch a Crew Dragon using a full-size Falcon 9 rocket, this first test will see the Crew Dragon take off from the launchpad using its own integrated SuperDraco thrusters. The capsule will ascend to around 1500 meters (4,900 feet) before separating from the trunk section; it will then deploy its parachutes and land about 2,200 meters (7,200 feet) down range in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Crew Dragon's launch abort system is very different from how it's usually done. In the case of Mercury, Apollo, and Soyuz, the launch escape is provided by way of a rocket on top of the capsule, which ignites and pulls the crew away from the main launch vehicle. This system works, but unless the rocket is actually used (and you pray it won't be), it is simply extra weight that has to be jettisoned a few minutes after launch. Crew Dragon's launch abort system consists of eight SuperDraco thrusters that are built into the capsule itself, which is much tidier way of doing things.
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#science
» see original post http://feeds.arstechnica.com/~r/arstechnica/science/~3/wS-8sOFCuFs/
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Boiling down viscous flow
Science Focus
original post »Drizzling honey on toast can produce mesmerizing, meandering patterns, as the syrupy fluid ripples and coils in a
The post Boiling down viscous flow has been published on Technology Org.
#physics
» see original post http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechnologyOrgPhysicsNews/~3/V2j2sp-zjaY/
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Right- and left-wingers are more physically active than centrists
Science Focus
original post »
In these polarized times, it's always a relief to find something liberals and conservatives have in common — even if it has nothing to do with politics. New research suggests that, at least in Europe, people who lean decisively right or left get considerably more exercise than those in the center.
"Busy people at both ends of the political spectrum do not seem to have as much time for idleness," writes a research team led by Adrian Bauman of the University of Sydney's School of Public Health. In contrast, centrists do more sitting, "both on the fence and elsewhere."
Bauman's study, published in The BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal), used data from the Eurobarometer, a survey conducted on behalf of the European Commission. Participants (with a mean age of 46) were from 32 European nations; all indicated their political orientation on a scale of one (far left wing) to 10 (far right wing).
The researchers compared responses from three groups of people: Those on the far left (the 6.8 percent who listed themselves as a "1" or "2"); those on the far right ("9" or "10"); and those in the center (the remainder). The two extreme groups were each comprised of around 1,900 people, while more than 17,000 placed themselves in the broad center.
All participants listed their "weekly minutes of vigorous intensity activity, moderate intensity activity, and walking," the researchers note. "These scores were summed to estimate total physical activity." A separate question asked them to estimate "total daily minutes of sitting time."
According to those self-reports, people on both the right and left engaged in a greater amount of total physical activity than those in the middle — approximately one hour more each week. They also enjoyed (or at least endured) larger doses of vigorous activity, clocking in at roughly 30 minutes more per week than centrists.
Those who reported no political affiliation were the most sedentary, spending 40 minutes less time on physical activities per week than those in the center.
Total sitting time did not differ all that much, with leftists and centrists at similar levels. Compared to those groups, right wingers spent an average of 13 minutes less per day on their butts. All of these findings still held true after adjusting for age, sex, education, and country.
"Centrists and the politically uncommitted may be at greater risk of non-communicable diseases because of their inertia," Bauman and his colleagues warn. "The politically uncommitted and centrists could consider adopting a stronger political stance for their health."
That doesn't seem likely to occur, which may be just as well: At this juncture in history, it doesn't seem wise to encourage extremism, even if it could improve people's health.
Still, it's interesting to consider the possibility that there could be a link between the obesity epidemic, and the apathy reflected in recent mid-term election's low turnout rates. If Americans follow the same patterns as Europeans, those in the "mushy middle" are more likely to have mushy physiques.
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» see original post http://theweek.com/articles/441498/right-leftwingers-are-more-physically-active-than-centrists
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New class of 'dark' globular star clusters discovered around giant galaxy Centaurus A
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Astronomers have discovered a new class of 'dark' globular star clusters around the giant galaxy Centaurus A. These mysterious objects look similar to normal clusters, but contain much more mass and may either harbor unexpected amounts of dark matter, or contain massive black holes -- neither of which was expected nor is understood.
via Science Daily
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Astronomers have discovered a new class of 'dark' globular star clusters around the giant galaxy Centaurus A. These mysterious objects look similar to normal clusters, but contain much more mass and may either harbor unexpected amounts of dark matter, or contain massive black holes -- neither of which was expected nor is understood.
via Science Daily
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Superflare stars with large starspots observed
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A team of astronomers has conducted spectroscopic observations of Sun-like "superflare" stars first observed and cataloged by the Kepler Space Telescope. The investigations focused on the detailed properties of these stars and confirmed that Sun-like stars with large starspots can experience superflares.
via Science Daily
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A team of astronomers has conducted spectroscopic observations of Sun-like "superflare" stars first observed and cataloged by the Kepler Space Telescope. The investigations focused on the detailed properties of these stars and confirmed that Sun-like stars with large starspots can experience superflares.
via Science Daily
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Merging Galaxies - The Antennae Galaxies Star Sticker
Here's a great sheet of stickers featuring a beautiful image from deep space
tagged with: envelope sealer, stretch frame, awesome astronomy images, super star clusters, agmcssc, antennae galaxies, merging galaxies, best hubble photos, ngc4038 ngc4039, new born stars, star cluster formation, dust clouds
Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series A stunning outer space picture featuring two merging galaxies, known as the Antennae Galaxies - NGC4038 and NGC4039. As these galaxies hurtle through each other, billions of new stars are forced to precipitate out of the gas and dust clouds by the bunching and heating that's caused by the massive gravitic interactions. These tend to occur in clusters, the brightest and most condensed of them being known as super star clusters.
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image code: agmcssc
Image credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration. Acknowledgement: B. Whitmore ( Space Telescope Science Institute) and James Long (ESA/Hubble).
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via Zazzle Astronomy market place
tagged with: envelope sealer, stretch frame, awesome astronomy images, super star clusters, agmcssc, antennae galaxies, merging galaxies, best hubble photos, ngc4038 ngc4039, new born stars, star cluster formation, dust clouds
Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series A stunning outer space picture featuring two merging galaxies, known as the Antennae Galaxies - NGC4038 and NGC4039. As these galaxies hurtle through each other, billions of new stars are forced to precipitate out of the gas and dust clouds by the bunching and heating that's caused by the massive gravitic interactions. These tend to occur in clusters, the brightest and most condensed of them being known as super star clusters.
more items with this image
more items in the Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series
image code: agmcssc
Image credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration. Acknowledgement: B. Whitmore ( Space Telescope Science Institute) and James Long (ESA/Hubble).
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via Zazzle Astronomy market place
Scientists develop atomic-scale hardware to implement natural computing
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(Phys.org)—Despite the many great achievements of computers, no man-made computer can learn from its environment, adapt to its surroundings, spontaneously self-organize, and solve complex problems that require these abilities as well as a biological brain. These abilities arise from the fact that the brain is a complex system capable of emergent behavior, meaning that the system involves interactions between many units resulting in macroscale behavior that cannot be attributed to any individual unit.
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(Phys.org)—Despite the many great achievements of computers, no man-made computer can learn from its environment, adapt to its surroundings, spontaneously self-organize, and solve complex problems that require these abilities as well as a biological brain. These abilities arise from the fact that the brain is a complex system capable of emergent behavior, meaning that the system involves interactions between many units resulting in macroscale behavior that cannot be attributed to any individual unit.
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The Hubble Space Telescope with a blue earth iPad Mini Cases
Here's a great iPad case from Zazzle featuring a Hubble-related design. Maybe you'd like to see your name on it? Click to personalize and see what it's like!
tagged with: photography, space, view from space, outdoors, earth, horizon, spacecraft, aerospace, square image, space exploration, hubble, orbit, telescopes, terra, blue planet, hubble space telescope, observatory, space telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope with a blue earth in the background
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The Zazzle Promise: We promise 100% satisfaction. If you don't absolutely love it, we'll take it back!
tagged with: photography, space, view from space, outdoors, earth, horizon, spacecraft, aerospace, square image, space exploration, hubble, orbit, telescopes, terra, blue planet, hubble space telescope, observatory, space telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope with a blue earth in the background
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The Zazzle Promise: We promise 100% satisfaction. If you don't absolutely love it, we'll take it back!
Send your drawing into space
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Be inspired by our Cheops art competition
via ESA Space Science
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Highlights/Send_your_drawing_into_space
Be inspired by our Cheops art competition
via ESA Space Science
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Highlights/Send_your_drawing_into_space
Crew Change on International Space Station Is Delayed
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The recent failure of a Russian resupply mission forced NASA and its partners in the space station to shuffle their plans.
via New York Times
The recent failure of a Russian resupply mission forced NASA and its partners in the space station to shuffle their plans.
via New York Times
Helix Nebula, Galaxies and Stars Star Sticker
Here's a great sheet of stickers featuring a beautiful image from deep space
tagged with: star nurseries, star clusters, galaxies, stars, astronomy, nebulae, helixneb, helix nebula, starfields, european southern observatory, eso, vista
Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series A fantastic colour-composite image of the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293). It was created from images obtained using the Wide Field Imager (WFI), an astronomical camera attached to the 2.2-metre Max-Planck Society/ESO telescope at the La Silla observatory in Chile.
The blue-green glow in the centre of the Helix comes from oxygen atoms shining under effects of the intense ultraviolet radiation of the 120 000 degree Celsius central star and the hot gas.
Further out from the star and beyond the ring of knots, the red colour from hydrogen and nitrogen is more prominent. A careful look at the central part of this object reveals not only the knots, but also many remote galaxies seen right through the thinly spread glowing gas.
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image code: helixneb
ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA www.eso.org
Reproduced under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
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tagged with: star nurseries, star clusters, galaxies, stars, astronomy, nebulae, helixneb, helix nebula, starfields, european southern observatory, eso, vista
Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series A fantastic colour-composite image of the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293). It was created from images obtained using the Wide Field Imager (WFI), an astronomical camera attached to the 2.2-metre Max-Planck Society/ESO telescope at the La Silla observatory in Chile.
The blue-green glow in the centre of the Helix comes from oxygen atoms shining under effects of the intense ultraviolet radiation of the 120 000 degree Celsius central star and the hot gas.
Further out from the star and beyond the ring of knots, the red colour from hydrogen and nitrogen is more prominent. A careful look at the central part of this object reveals not only the knots, but also many remote galaxies seen right through the thinly spread glowing gas.
more items with this image
more items in the Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series
image code: helixneb
ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA www.eso.org
Reproduced under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
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Click to customize.
via Zazzle Astronomy market place
A new way to measure friction between highly ordered pyrolytic graphite materials
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(Phys.org)—A small team of researchers at IBM Research–Zürich, has found a new way to measure the friction involved when two planes of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) are moved against one another. In their paper published in the journal Science, the team explains how their technique works and what they found when using it with some graphite materials. Kenneth Liechti of the University of Texas offers a Perspective piece on the work done by the team in the same journal issue and suggests ways in which the new technique might prove useful for the design and reliability of nano and micro electrical systems.
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(Phys.org)—A small team of researchers at IBM Research–Zürich, has found a new way to measure the friction involved when two planes of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) are moved against one another. In their paper published in the journal Science, the team explains how their technique works and what they found when using it with some graphite materials. Kenneth Liechti of the University of Texas offers a Perspective piece on the work done by the team in the same journal issue and suggests ways in which the new technique might prove useful for the design and reliability of nano and micro electrical systems.
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Spiral Galaxy NGC 1672 by the Hubble Telescope iPad Mini Case
Here's a great iPad case from Zazzle featuring a Hubble-related design. Maybe you'd like to see your name on it? Click to personalize and see what it's like!
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This NASA Hubble Space Telescope view of the nearby barred spiral galaxy NGC 1672 unveils details in the galaxy’s star-forming clouds and dark bands of interstellar dust. NGC 1672 is more than 60 million light-years away in the direction of the southern constellation Dorado. These observations of NGC 1672 were taken with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys in August of 2005. Sign up to Mr. Rebates for FREE and save 12% on any zazzle order in addition to a $5.00 sign up bonus All Rights Reserved; without: prejudice, recourse or notice (U.C.C. 1-308) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NGC_1672_HST.jpg galaxy ngc 1672 astronomy space "ngc 1672" "spiral galaxy" "outer space" hubble "hubble telescope" "hubble space telescope"
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tagged with: galaxy, ngc, 1672, astronomy, space, ngc 1672, spiral galaxy, outer space, hubble, hubble telescope, hubble space telescope
This NASA Hubble Space Telescope view of the nearby barred spiral galaxy NGC 1672 unveils details in the galaxy’s star-forming clouds and dark bands of interstellar dust. NGC 1672 is more than 60 million light-years away in the direction of the southern constellation Dorado. These observations of NGC 1672 were taken with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys in August of 2005. Sign up to Mr. Rebates for FREE and save 12% on any zazzle order in addition to a $5.00 sign up bonus All Rights Reserved; without: prejudice, recourse or notice (U.C.C. 1-308) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NGC_1672_HST.jpg galaxy ngc 1672 astronomy space "ngc 1672" "spiral galaxy" "outer space" hubble "hubble telescope" "hubble space telescope"
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