The joint NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has passed its critical final mission analysis review — clearing the way for a late 2021 launch from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana on an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket.
Month: July 2021
CryoWorks Names New CEO, Timothy Mast, Jr.
On June 1, California-based CryoWorks, Inc. announced that the company’s board of directors has named Timothy Mast, Jr. as chief executive officer and president, effective immediately. Mr. Mast, Jr. has worked at CryoWorks since 2011 and has served as vice president of operations since February 2019. He succeeds Timothy Mast, Sr. and Donna Mast, who are transitioning into board of director roles.
Canadian-built Laser Chills Antimatter to Near Absolute Zero for First Time
On March 30, the CERN-based ALPHA (Anti-hydrogen Laser Physics Apparatus) collaboration, including team members from TRIUMF, announced the world’s first laser-based manipulation of antimatter, leveraging a made-in-Canada laser system to cool a sample of antimatter down to near absolute zero significantly altering the landscape of antimatter research and advance the next generation of experiments.
Montana Instruments Introduces CryoCore™ for High-Throughput Electrical and Optical Materials Characterization
This April, Montana Instruments Corporation, a manufacturer of high precision, fully automated closed-cycle optical cryostats, introduced CryoCore™, a new streamlined cryogenic platform built for high-throughput electrical and optical materials characterization. Using advancements in thermal and low vibration design, the cryostat is a low vibration, cryogen-free system that allows users to access cryogenic temperatures from 4.9 K - 350 K.
New Combination of Materials Provides Progress Toward Quantum Computing
In research published June 14 in Nature Communications, engineers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute demonstrated how, when semiconductor materials known as the transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) materials they make are stacked in a particular geometry, the interaction that occurs between particles gives researchers more control over the devices’ properties. Specifically, the interaction between electrons becomes so strong that they form a new structure known as a correlated insulating state.
Baker Hughes, Borg CO2 to Develop Carbon Capture, Storage Hub for Industrial Cluster in Norway
Baker Hughes, an American-based energy technology company, and Borg CO2 AS, a Norwegian carbon capture and storage developer for industrial clusters, announced a collaboration on a carbon capture and storage project to serve as a hub for the decarbonization of industrial sites in the Viken region of Norway. The project aims to capture, liquefy and store up to 90% of the CO2 emissions from the involved industrial sites.
Refrigeration Breakthrough Takes Chinese Quantum Science Near Absolute Zero
China has achieved a breakthrough in self-developed refrigeration equipment – a high-end scientific device that can provide an environment of near absolute zero without using liquid helium. The device lasts longer and is more convenient to use and maintain, compared with traditional cooling machines that use cryogens. The device was developed by the Institute of Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
NASA, Northrop Grumman Finalize Moon Outpost Living Quarters Contract
NASA and Northrop Grumman of Dulles, Virginia, have finalized a contract to develop the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) for Gateway, which will be a critical way station and outpost in orbit around the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program.
This Quantum Computer With a 3D Chip Is Heading into the Cloud
A startup in the UK is now offering cloud-based access to its own superconducting quantum computer – but with a twist that it hopes could one day help it compete against the processors developed by quantum giants such as IBM and Google.
Physicists Uncover Secrets of World’s Thinnest Superconductor
Physicists from across three continents report the first experimental evidence to explain the unusual electronic behavior behind the world’s thinnest superconductor, a material with myriad applications because it conducts electricity extremely efficiently. In this case, the superconductor is only an atomic layer thick.
Energycane Produces More Biodiesel than Soybean at a Lower Cost
Bioenergy from crops is a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. New crops such as energycane can produce several times more fuel per acre than soybeans. Yet, challenges remain in processing the crops to extract fuel efficiently.
Lockheed Martin, Omni Tanker, UNSW to Develop Cryogenic Tank Solutions for Liquid Hydrogen
Omni Tanker, Lockheed Martin and the University of New South Wales have joined forces to develop technology that solves the challenges of transporting and storing liquid hydrogen. The group hopes to utilize two home-grown technologies to solve the challenges for the storage of liquid hydrogen with applications on ground, in the air, underwater and in space.