Military & Aerospace
Hawking, CERN scientists win huge physics prize
December 11, 2012 8:36 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA Russian billionaire's foundation is awarding two special prizes of $3 million each to British cosmologist Stephen Hawking for his work on black holes and to seven scientists at the world's biggest atom-smasher for their roles in the discovery of a new subatomic particle believed to be the long-sought Higgs boson.
Undersea defense applications demand robust battery technology
December 10, 2012 4:43 pm | by Mike Sink, Saft, www.saftbatteries.com | Articles | CommentsUnmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) and sonobuoys continue to occupy a critical role in undersea warfare, and the design of such technologies – especially with regard to their power systems – is acutely important due to their growing indispensability to a variety of tactical defense operations.
British astronomer Patrick Moore dies at 89
December 10, 2012 9:10 am | by GREGORY KATZ Associated Press | News | CommentsBritish astronomer and broadcaster Patrick Moore died Sunday, according to friends and colleagues. He was 89. He died at his home in the coastal town of Selsey in southern England, according to a statement released Sunday. No specific cause of death was given,
COTS frequency convertors help program smart weapons and smart industrial applications
December 7, 2012 10:52 am | Product Releases | CommentsBehlman Electronics solved a vexing 1500 VA power supply problem sometimes experienced by US Air Force personnel when they must reprogram munitions in the field, and it grew into a 5000 VA solution for this and other applications, as well.
DC-DC voltage regulators designed for space applications
December 6, 2012 3:05 pm | Product Releases | CommentsInternational Rectifier introduced a series of high current, ultra-low dropout (ULDO) RAD-Hard hybrid linear voltage regulators available in Standard Microcircuit Drawings (SMD) for space applications including satellites and launch vehicles.
Gravity maps of moon reveal deeply fractured crust
December 6, 2012 2:28 pm | by Irene Klotz, Reuters | News | CommentsAsteroids and comets colliding with the moon not only pitted its surface but also severely fractured its crust, researchers with NASA said on Wednesday, in a finding that could help crack a Martian puzzle. On Mars, similar fracturing would have given water on the surface
To the moon? Firm hopes to sell $1.5 billion trips
December 6, 2012 2:19 pm | by SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer | News | CommentsA team of former NASA executives is launching a private venture to send people to the moon for a price that is definitely out of this world. For $1.5 billion, the newly formed business is offering countries a two-person trip to the moon, either for research or national prestige. The venture was announced Wednesday.
Cosmic radio waves mimic chirping of 'alien birds'
December 5, 2012 8:43 am | by MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer | News | CommentsTwin spacecraft have captured the clearest sounds yet from Earth's radiation belts - and they mimic the chirping of birds.NASA's Van Allen Probes have been exploring the hostile radiation belts surrounding Earth for just three months. But already, they've collected measurements of high-energy
Mars redux: NASA to launch Curiosity-like rover
December 5, 2012 8:41 am | by Alicia Chang AP Science Writer | News | CommentsIf you thought NASA's latest Mars landing was a nail-biter, get ready for a sequel.The space agency on Tuesday announced plans to launch another mega-rover to the red planet in 2020 that will be modeled after the wildly popular Curiosity.To keep costs down, engineers will borrow Curiosity's
NASA's Mars rover finds traces of carbon - one essential for life
December 4, 2012 9:18 am | by Irene Klotz, Reuters | News | CommentsNASA's Mars rover Curiosity, dispatched to look for the chemical ingredients and environments for microbial life, has found hints of carbon, though whether this building block for life on Earth has played a similar role on Mars is unknown, scientists said on Monday.
NASA: Voyager 1 enters new region of solar system
December 4, 2012 9:14 am | by Alicia Chang AP Science Writer | News | CommentsThe unstoppable Voyager 1 spacecraft has sailed into a new realm of the solar system that scientists did not know existed. Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, have been speeding away from the sun toward interstellar space, or the space between stars. Over the summer, Voyager 1, which is farther along in its journey,
Pressure transducers support wind tunnel testing, turbulent airflow measurements, and other high-intensity aerodynamic testing
November 30, 2012 3:09 pm | Product Releases | CommentsMeggitt Sensing Systems has announced the successful application of Endevco 8507C rugged, miniature piezoresistive pressure transducers, as well as its full range of acoustic microphones, to support the requirements of hypersonic, transonic and "quiet flow" wind tunnel testing; turbulent airflow measurements; and other high-intensity aerodynamic testing.
TWIE 125: Non-Lethal Missile Knocks Out Electronics
November 28, 2012 4:25 pm | by Engineering.com | Videos | CommentsTWIE 125: Non-Lethal Missile Knocks Out Electronics: This Week in Engineering - Seismologists convicted of manslaughter; finding damaged nuclear cores; power outage missile; robot tightrope-walker; testing bridges with rain; and bricks from cow blood.
The UK Ministry of Defence uses IBM technology to create smarter, greener buildings
November 28, 2012 9:20 am | News | CommentsThe United Kingdom’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has awarded IBM with a contract that will help it gain greater insight and intelligence in relation to its entire property portfolio. DIO, an operational arm of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), is responsible for the management of some 4,000 separate sites....
NASA ponders new missions for spare spy telescopes
November 28, 2012 8:56 am | by Irene Klotz, Reuters | News | CommentsNASA is looking for new ideas on what to do with two space telescopes left over from a once-secret U.S. spy satellite program.The U.S. space agency asked the scientific community on Tuesday for its input into possible missions for a pair of space telescopes donated last year to NASA by the National Reconnaissance Office
BGA packages minimize size, weight, and power
November 27, 2012 3:46 pm | Product Releases | CommentsData Device Corporation (DDC) introduces Mil-Temp versions of its Micro-ACE TE and Total-ACE MIL-STD-1553 BGA packages for use in extended temperature applications. These versions are offered in addition to the standard temperature components and share the same dimensions and pinout configurations.
AC/DC power supply certified to MIL-STD 810G, MIL461F, and MIL-COTS
November 27, 2012 3:36 pm | Product Releases | CommentsExcelsys announces the release of their ruggedized XF Series of 400~1,000 Watt field-configurable AC/DC power supplies intended for harsh environments including Mil-COTS applications. The power chassis of the new XF family of are rated from 400W to 1000W in a package measuring 10.55 x 5.00 x 1.59”.
Type 6 module includes three independent display interfaces
November 27, 2012 1:09 pm | Product Releases | CommentsADLINK Technology presents its latest COM Express offering, the Express-IB. The Express-IB is a high performance COM.0 R2.0 Type 6 module featuring an Intel Core i7/i5/i3 processor supporting Intel HD Graphics integrated on the CPU with three independent displays.
U.S. astronaut, Russian cosmonaut to spend a year in space
November 27, 2012 9:15 am | by Irene Klotz, Reuters | News | CommentsTwo veterans of the International Space Station will return for an experimental year-long stay aboard the orbital outpost, a test run for future missions to the moon, asteroids and Mars, NASA said on Monday. Former U.S. space shuttle pilot and station commander Scott Kelly, 48, who last flew in 2011,
AP IMPACT: Will NYC act to block future surges?
November 27, 2012 9:13 am | by JEFF DONN Associated Press | News | CommentsThink Sandy was just a 100-year storm that devastated New York City? Imagine one just as bad, or worse, every three years.Prominent planners and builders say now is the time to think big to shield the city's core: a 5-mile barrier blocking the entryway to New York Harbor, an archipelago of man-made islets
Feedthrough capacitors rated at 200A
November 20, 2012 9:36 am | Product Releases | CommentsFor high power EMI filtering applications, where high current ratings are required, Syfer Technology has announced the SLV range of DC and AC feedthrough capacitors rated at 200A. This complements the extension to the existing SLG range rated at 100A. Typical applications for both ranges are considered to be IT servers....
Through-hole dot matrix display offers high performance, easy to use
November 19, 2012 3:48 pm | Product Releases | CommentsEverlight Electronics Co., Ltd. announces the ELMM-457SURCB/A3, a high performance, easy to use through-hole dot matrix display driven by packaged IC. Each display can be directly interfaced with a microprocessor. The serial IC interface allows the display of 104 built-in characters and 24 custom
GaN transistor offers 30W P3dB at 6GHz
November 19, 2012 1:12 pm | Product Releases | CommentsRFMW announces design and sales support for TriQuint Semiconductor’s T1G6003028-FL, DC – 6GHz GaN transistor offering 30W P3dB at 6GHz and up to 40W P3dB midband. Gain at P3dB is >11dB requiring half the power from a driver stage compared to some competitors. Linear gain is >14dB.
MIL-STD-1553 test and simulation tool includes amplitude range of 0V to 20.5V
November 19, 2012 10:27 am | Product Releases | CommentsData Device Corporation (DDC) adds variable voltage programmability to the BU-67210F/I/T one to four channel MIL-STD-1553 AceXtreme PMC, PCI, and cPCI/PXI Card family to create a feature-rich and highly dynamic test, simulation, and verification tool.
Soyuz with crew of three lands in Kazakhstan
November 19, 2012 8:31 am | by Robin Paxton, Reuters | News | CommentsA Russian Soyuz capsule landed on the Kazakh steppe on Monday, safely delivering a trio of astronauts from a four-month stint aboard the International Space Station.The Soyuz TMA-05M capsule, carrying Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and U.S. .
