Science

Virginia Tech Student Entrepreneurs Showcase Their Emerging Desktop Robotics Company At Autodesk Expo

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From left, Kaelum Hasler, Bradley Turner and Martin Angst represented their emerging desktop robotics company at the Autodesk Expo in November. ‘Rendyr epitomizes the potential of Virginia Tech students to change the world through launching a new venture while pursuing their degree,’ said Sean Collins, director of the Apex Center for Entrepreneurs. Rendyr seeks to democratize access to prototyping tools and could be a game changer in multiple industries, Collns said, adding that Apex ‘is proud to support this amazing group of talented students as they bring their
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Spaceport America Announces Test Operations Of ABL Space Systems

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SPACEPORT AMERICA News:
 
ABL Space Systems, a company founded by former SpaceX engineers, recently completed a successful test campaign of its E2 rocket engine at Spaceport America.
 
“Spaceport America provided the perfect location and support staff for us to test the E2 rocket engine,” ABL CFO Dan Piemont explained. “Our team did a great job rapidly activating our deployable test site, and we are happy with how E2 performed. This campaign was an important step toward bringing the RS1 launch vehicle to market.”
 
When operational, RS1 will fill an important role in the global
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NMMSH: Free Launch Pad Lecture On Comets Jan. 3

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Comet Bennet was discovered Dec. 28, 1969 by John Caister Bennett in Pretoria, South Africa. It was widely visible by April 1970 and was slated to be photographed April 14 from Apollo 13, but a critical malfunction in the spacecraft prevented the crew from taking the photos. Courtesy/britastro.org

NMMSH News:

ALAMOGORDO – From early effects on world history to intergalactic interlopers, take a fascinating look at the sometimes terrifying but always beautiful and fascinating world of comets.

Harbingers of doom in the past, comets today provide a fascinating look into the early days of the Read More

New Technology Tested At Los Alamos County Airport

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Crews prepare a drone for launching via catapault Nov. 8 at Los Alamos County Airport. Courtesy/LAC
 
A parachute carries the drone back to the ground. Courtesy/LAC
 
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

The pavement on airport runways and taxiways is essential; however, its maintenance and repair does not come cheap. But an innovative piece of technology could change that, and the Los Alamos County Airport recently played a role in putting this new technology to the test.

Officials from New Mexico Department of Transportation aviation division as Read More

American Geophysical Union: Scientists Use Satellites And Social Media To Detect Potential Famines

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Oxfam delivers food aid to Turkana, Kenya during an ongoing food crisis fueled by drought. This year, below-average rains caused crop production to fall nearly 50 percent. Courtesy/Irina Fuhrmann/Oxfam under Creative Commons 2
 
AGU News:
 
Deaths due to famine have fallen precipitously in recent decades, but undernutrition, which affects one in five children worldwide, remains rampant. Now, researchers are using satellite imagery and social media to detect food-scarce regions before they become full-blown crises.
 
Molly Brown of the University of Maryland conducts
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EDD: Grants For Science And Technology Start-Ups

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EDD News:
 
SANTA FE ― The New Mexico Economic Development Department is offering a new small grants program to science and technology start-ups, Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes has announced.
 
The Business Start-Up Grants can be used by potentially high-growth, for profit companies in New Mexico in the science and technology fields with fewer than 50 employees.
 
Applicants must demonstrate the potential to create jobs or generate additional private investment, be headquartered in New Mexico, and provide a letter of good standing or Certificate of Compliance with the
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U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich Introduces Bill To Promote Transmission Infrastructure Growth Across Nation

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U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich
 
U.S. SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced the Electric Power Infrastructure Improvement Act Friday to provide a new investment tax credit that will help promote the construction of regionally significant transmission projects across the U.S.
 
Heinrich’s legislation will help drive investments needed to not only alleviate the current strain on existing transmission lines, but improve the resilience of the grid and support new projects that connect modern renewable energy resources to the
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LANL Director Thom Mason Speaks To LACACIS On Leveraging Science Against National Security Threats

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LANL Director Thom Mason addresses members of the Los Alamos Committee on Arms Control and International Security Thursday at the United Church of Los Alamos. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com
 
 
By BONNIE J. GORDON
Los Alamos Daily Post

Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Thom Mason presented a talk Thursday evening about leveraging the nation’s scientific base against national security threats.

Mason was the guest speaker at a meeting of the Los Alamos Committee on Arms Control and International Security meeting at the United Church

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Counting Photons Routine Enough To Need Standards

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As part of a research project to help establish standards for photon-counting detectors, NIST physicist Thomas Gerrits adjusts the laser beam hitting a detector. The squiggly overhead light helps researchers see the lab setup without disturbing the detectors, which are insensitive to blue light. Photo by J. Burrus/NIST

NIST News:

Since the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) built its first superconducting devices for counting photons (the smallest units of light) in the 1990s, these once-rare detectors have become popular research tools all over the world. Now, NIST Read More

NASA Sending New Generation Rover To Mars

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Cadets in the Museum’s summer camp Wheels Up program test high-altitude pressure suits they built to protect marshmallows. Cadets were given nitrile gloves, sealable food bags, and tape and told to use their imagination. Their designs were tested in a vacuum jar. Registration for summer camp in Alamogordo and Las Cruces is now open and available on the Museum’s website. Courtesy/NMMSH

NMMSH News:

ALAMOGORDO – In mid-August 2020, NASA is sending a new generation rover to Mars as part of the Mars Exploration Program.

The mission will search for signs of past microbial life, characterize the Read More