W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. (Gore) now offers a cable option for tethered drones used in the military and commercial applications. GORE Tethered Drone Cables strike a balance by combining power and fiber optic cables with durable, lighter-weight materials in a hybrid solution that provides significant benefits. These high-performance cables maximize Tether Management System (TMS) availability, provide more design…
Highest Performance Upgradeable Secure Server Under ITAR Control
General Micro Systems, Inc. (GMS) launched Apex, the “Forever Server” system that is compact, secure, exceptionally powerful, rugged and modular. Designed for harsh use but able to evolve and upgrade as system needs change over many years, Apex is so densely packed that it can reduce an entire rack’s worth of functionality into a single…
Rugged Deep Learning System Brings Data Center AI onto the Battlefield
General Micro Systems (GMS) introduced the industry’s first rugged, conduction-cooled, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) deep learning/artificial intelligence (AI) mobile system that offers real-time data analysis and decision making directly on the battlefield. The X422 “Lighting” integrates two of Nvidia’s powerful V100 Tesla data center accelerators into a fully sealed, conduction-cooled chassis, enabling it to withstand the harsh rigors…
Hubble in Safe Mode as Gyro Issues Are Diagnosed
NASA is working to resume science operations of the Hubble Space Telescope after the spacecraft entered safe mode on Friday, October 5, shortly after 6:00 p.m. EDT. Hubble’s instruments still are fully operational and are expected to produce excellent science for years to come. Hubble entered safe mode after one of the three gyroscopes (gyros) actively being used to point and steady…
NASA Selects Two Companies to Help Take Out the Deep Space Trash
NASA has selected Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) and UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS) to develop systems that can reduce trash volume, and process the resulting atmosphere contaminants during deep space missions. The U.S. companies responded to NASA’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) Appendix F: Logistics Reduction (LR) in Space by Trash Compaction and Processing System…
BAE Systems Develops Next-Generation Countermeasures Dispenser to Provide Advanced Threat Protection for Aircraft
BAE Systems, a leader in optical electronic warfare systems, today unveiled its Smart D2™ system, a next-generation threat management technology named for its ability to dispense countermeasures and defend military aircraft. The system efficiently manages and deploys smart, expendable countermeasures – including multi-shot flares, active radio-frequency (RF) decoys, and kinetic interceptors – that are designed…
Discovering New Molecules for Military Applications
The efficient discovery and production of new molecules is essential for a range of military capabilities—from developing safe chemical warfare agent simulants and medicines to counter emerging threats, to coatings, dyes, and specialty fuels for advanced performance. Current approaches to develop molecules for specific applications, however, are intuition-driven, mired in slow iterative design and test…
First SpaceX Mission With Astronauts Set for June 2019
NASA has announced the first crewed flight by a SpaceX rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) is expected to take place in June 2019. It will be the first manned US launch to the orbiting research laboratory since the space shuttle program was retired in 2011, forcing US astronauts to hitch costly rides aboard…
Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Hornet: US Air Force Picks Battle-Hardened Engines
Boeing’s F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet fighter jets have something for everybody. Built to take off from and land on aircraft carriers, the planes come in handy for escorting ships through hostile waters or defending a fleet against air attacks. They can also provide close air support for troops on the ground. Depending on the…
ITT’s Cannon and Enidine brands to showcase military, defense innovations at AUSA 2018
ITT Cannon and ITT Enidine will highlight their comprehensive portfolios of highly engineered and ruggedized interconnect, energy absorption and vibration isolation solutions for military and defense applications at the 2018 Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting & Exposition October 8-10 (Halls ABC / Booth 2350), in the Walter E Washington Convention Center, Washington,…
Movement-Enhancing Exoskeletons May Impair Decision Making
As engineers make strides in the design of wearable, electronically active, and responsive leg braces, arm supports, and full-body suits, collectively known as exoskeletons, researchers at MIT are raising an important question: While these Iron Man-like appendages may amp up a person’s strength, mobility, and endurance, what effect might they have on attention and decision…
US, Montenegro Conduct Groundbreaking Cyber Defense Cooperation
U.S. service members worked alongside cyber defenders within the Government of Montenegro over the past few weeks to build cyber defense capabilities. U.S. Cyber Command Airmen, in cooperation with U.S. European Command, have worked closely with NATO ally Montenegro conducting Cyber Defense Security Cooperation to increase interoperability, build partner capacity, and deter malign influence on…
Lockheed Martin Unveils Its Lunar Lander Concept Vehicle
US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, responding to NASA’s plans to renew the exploration of the moon and Mars in the next decade, unveiled Wednesday a concept spacecraft able to land on the lunar surface. The US space agency said it plans to send astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972 as the initial stage…
Curiosity Rover to Temporarily Switch ‘Brains’
Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, this week commanded the agency’s Curiosity rover to switch to its second computer. The switch will enable engineers to do a detailed diagnosis of a technical issue that has prevented the rover’s active computer from storing science and some key engineering data since Sept. 15. Like…
Russian Scientists Develop High-Precision Laser for Satellite Navigation
Scientists from ITMO University developed a laser for precise measurement of the distance between the Moon and Earth. Short pulse duration and high power of this laser help to reduce error in determining the distance to the Moon to just a few millimeters. This data can be used to specify the coordinates of artificial satellites…
Touchdown! Japan Space Probe Lands New Robot on Asteroid
A Japanese probe landed a new observation robot on an asteroid on Wednesday as it pursues a mission to shed light on the origins of the solar system. The French-German Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout, or MASCOT, launched from the Hayabusa2 probe, landed safely on Ryugu and was in contact with its team, the lander’s official…
VTT’s Nanosat Hyperspectral Camera Delivers High Quality Spectral Data After Enduring One Year of Space Wheather and a Solar Storm
VTT’s hyperspectral imager continues to observe the earth on board the Aalto-1 nanosatellite. For hyperspectral imagers it is unique to reach such a small size and weight, and also to prove a capability to survive in harsh space conditions on-board a small satellite. It has even survived a grade X solar storm while still continuing…
Circular plastic connectors from TE meet UL and U.S. Defense criteria
TE Connectivity offers circular plastic connectors (CPC) as a standard, rugged and reliable solution suitable for multiple applications. The connectors are now UL Recognized (File No. E28476) and meet criteria for CSA Certification (LR 7189) from the United States Department of Defense. “In addition to achieving both the UL and CSA certification, TE’s CPC products […]
Two-Way Ion Thruster Could Blow Space Junk Out of Orbit
A team of researchers from Tohoku University in Japan and the Australian National University has come up with a plasma beam shooting satellite that could push space debris out of orbit. Mounted on a satellite, the two-way facing beam is produced by a bespoke ion thruster that uses its discharge to decelerate debris so it…
A Decade of Commercial Space Travel – What’s Next?
In many industries, a decade is barely enough time to cause dramatic change unless something disruptive comes along – a new technology, business model or service design. The space industry has recently been enjoying all three. But 10 years ago, none of those innovations were guaranteed. In fact, on Sept. 28, 2008, an entire company watched…
New Space Instrument Goes for a Spin
Scientists and engineers at Los Alamos National Laboratory are using a unique centrifuge facility to evaluate a flight-ready telemetry system for evaluating a nuclear weapons test missile launch. “The telemetry unit was designed and manufactured by Los Alamos’ Intelligence and Space Research Division,” said Telemetry Program Manager Myles Fitzgerald. “Telemetry is a data stream of information on…
For Collecting Weather Data, Tiny Satellites Measure up to Billion-Dollar Cousins
Big storms are getting bigger. Typhoon Jebi became the strongest tropical cyclone to hit Japan in 25 years and killed at least 10 people this past summer. Hurricane Florence awed even veteran meteorologists with its powerful combination of high winds and extreme moisture when it made landfall in North Carolina on Sept. 14. Now, some…
Putting Noise to Work
Noise is often undesirable—for example, in a recorded conversation in a noisy room, in astronomical observations with large background signals, or in image processing. A research team from China, Spain and Germany has demonstrated that noise can induce spatial and temporal order in nonlinear systems. This effect may be used in the future to identify…
Both Halves of NASA’s Webb Telescope Successfully Communicate
For the first time, the two halves of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope — the spacecraft and the telescope—were connected together using temporary ground wiring that enabled them to “speak” to each other like they will in flight. Although it was a significant step forward for the program, this test was an optional “risk reduction”…
Rugged Military-Grade 5U Rack-Mounted HPC Computer System
Chassis Plans a provider of ruggedized computers and LCD display products designed for harsh military and industrial environments, is proud to announce the release of its first rugged High Performance Computer (HPC). The new HPC M5U-22 is based on a ruggedized 5U enclosure that is designed to meet the environmental requirements for a wide range…