World

U.S. Army Partners With Air Force’s THOR For Base Defense

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THOR Program Manager Amber Anderson walks with Army Lt. Gen. L. Neil Thurgood to the test range to watch THOR disable drones. Courtesy/AFRL

Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office leaders enter the portable control center of THOR to view the system’s drone-killing capabilities. Photo by John Cochran

AFRL News:

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE — In an effort to counter the increasing threat posed by enemy drones and other airborne threats, the U.S. Army is making an investment in Directed Energy prototype technology, with the Tactical High Power Operational Responder, or THOR, system, Read More

Spaceport America Cup Is Going Virtual For 2021

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Courtesy/Spaceport America

Spaceport America News:

Sierra County — Spaceport America and partners Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA) have announced that the 2021 Spaceport America Cup will be held as a virtual event June 18-20.

The 2021 Spaceport America Cup will be an online competition and technical conference. Student teams from across the globe will complete to win technical awards and one team will be selected as the overall 2021 Virtual Spaceport America Cup winner.

In addition, teams will participate in interactive poster session reviews, hear from special guest Read More

LANL Invites Public To Mars Rover Landing After-Party

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An illustration of NASA’s Perseverance on the surface of Mars. Courtesy/NASA/JPL-Caltech

LANL News:

The public is invited to a free Mars Perseverance landing after-party hosted by Los Alamos National Laboratory 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 18, MST. Due to COVID restrictions, the event will take place online.

The after-party is a chance to celebrate the landing of NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars and learn more about Los Alamos National Laboratory’s role in the mission.

This hour-long virtual event will feature presentations by more than a dozen Los Alamos scientists and engineers who helped Read More

LANL: Perseverance Rover Takes New Mexico To Mars

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An illustration of NASA’s Perseverance rover landing safely on Mars, scheduled for Feb. 18. Los Alamos National Laboratory has several critical roles on the mission. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech

An illustration showing the seven scientific instruments on board the Mars Perseverance rover, including SuperCam and SHERLOC, both of which were developed in part at Los Alamos. Courtesy/NASA-JPL/Caltech

LANL News:

When NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover touches down on the surface of Mars Thursday, Feb. 18, a bit of New Mexico will land along with it, thanks to work done at Los Alamos National Laboratory. 

Read More

The Many Myths Behind Inspiration For Valentine’s Day

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Saint Valentine, who according to some sources is actually two distinct historical characters. Fototeca Gilardi/Getty

By LIVIA GERSHON
History.com

On February 14, when we share chocolates, special dinners, or doily cards with our loved ones, we do it in the name of Saint Valentine. But who was this saint of romance?

Search the internet, and you can find plenty of stories about him—or them. One Saint Valentine was supposedly a Roman priest who performed secret weddings against the wishes of the authorities in the third century. Imprisoned in the home of a noble, he healed his captor’s blind daughter, Read More

Los Alamos Medal Winners Recognized For Revolutionary Contributions

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Los Alamos Medal recipients Fred Mortensen and Bette Korber. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

  • Fred Mortensen and Bette Korber were selected for their profound scientific achievements in weapons design and vaccine design

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) announced today that two scientists have been awarded the Los Alamos Medal, the Laboratory’s highest honor, for revolutionary scientific contributions to national security and science. Fred Mortensen and Bette Korber are recognized for their distinguished achievements that have enhanced the success of the Laboratory. 

“Throughout Read More

Rotary: Tony Chan Presents Talk About Chinese New Year

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Rotary Club Speaker Tony Chan

By LINDA HULL
Vice President
Rotary Club of Los Alamos

“It’s THE celebration of the year!” explained Rotarian Tony Chan, a native of Hong Kong, when he presented “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Chinese New Year” to the Rotary Club of Los Alamos during the Feb. 2 Zoom meeting.

Comparing its importance and magnitude to an American Thanksgiving, Chan described the Chinese New Year celebration, usually 16 days long, as a non-religious festival that generally falls in February although it sometimes appears on the calendar in January or March.

This year, Read More

Valles Caldera National Preserve Has Been Certified As An International Dark Sky Park

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VCNP News:

JEMEZ SPRINGS – The National Park Service and the International Dark Sky Association announced today that Valles Caldera National Preserve has been certified as an International Dark Sky Park.

This certification recognizes the exceptional quality of the preserve’s night skies and provides added opportunities to enhance visitor experiences through astronomy-based interpretive programming.

Located in the Jemez Mountains of north-central New Mexico, Valles Caldera National Preserve is an excellent place to learn about and enjoy the wonders of the night sky, where it is possible Read More

Catch Of The Week: Phishing For A Vaccine

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Courtesy image

By BECKY RUTHERFORD
Los Alamos

The growing availability of the COVID-19 vaccine is exciting for all of us; it may signal the end of the pandemic and a return to a more “normal” way of life. Sadly, it’s exciting for cybercriminals too…  COVID-19 vaccine scams are on the rise via email and text message.

First off, scams offering fake COVID-19 themed products. Be skeptical of any websites promising to sell you the vaccine or other COVID-19 cures According to CheckPoint Security researchers, thousands of new websites themed around COVID-19 “cures,” vaccines, etc., have been recently Read More

AGU: Study Shows Reaching Zero Net Carbon Emissions Surprisingly Feasible And Affordable

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Infographic details way U.S. can reach carbon neutrality by mid-century. Photo by Jenny Nuss/LLLNL

AGU News:

WASHINGTON—Reaching zero net emissions of carbon dioxide from energy and industry by 2050 can be accomplished by rebuilding U.S. energy infrastructure to run primarily on renewable energy, at a net cost of about $1 per person per day, according to new research.

In a new study in AGU Advances, which publishes high-impact, open-access research and commentary across the Earth and space sciences, researchers created the first published roadmap specifying how to achieve carbon neutrality Read More