Intersolar Europe 2022

Intersolar Europe is the world’s leading exhibition for the solar industry and takes place annually at the Messe München exhibition center. Intersolar 2022 has taken place in Munich, Germany from 11-13 May. 

The event’s exhibition and conference both focus on the areas of photovoltaics, solar thermal technologies, solar plants, as well as grid infrastructure and solutions for the integration of renewable energy. Since being founded more than 30 years ago, Intersolar has become the most important industry platform for manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, service providers and partners of the solar industry.

Intersolar Europe is part of The smarter E Europe, which in total comprises four exhibitions, an extensive accompanying program as well as parallel conferences and claims the title of Europe's largest platform for the energy industry with more than 1,450 exhibitors and 132,000m2 exhibition space.

Source: https://www.ises.org

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Watch incredible NASA video of a total lunar eclipse from space.

Some 64 million miles from the planet, NASA's Lucy probe got a deep space view of the recent total lunar eclipse.

From her vantage point, it didn't look much like a "blood moon," one of the many nicknames for the rare astronomical event. In a brief two-second time-lapse video, Lucy captured the Earth, on the left, and the moon, on the right. The tiny moon can be seen as a bright pinpoint of light that vanishes out of sight as it passes into the planet's shadow.

Source: https://mashable.com

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Scientists Grow Plants in Moon Soil for the First Time.

The seeds grew in lunar soil collected during Apollo 11, 12 and 17 missions decades ago.

For the first time, scientists have successfully grown plants using lunar soil—known as lunar regolith—collected from past moon expeditions.

Scientists at the University of Florida conducted the experiment using a well-studied plant known as Arabidopsis thaliana, a crop native to Eurasia and Africa and a relative of the mustard green and other vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower. They didn’t even know if the seeds would germinate.

In a paper published May 12 in the journal Communications Biology, researchers explained how they conducted the experiment using teaspoon-sized samples of regolith— collected from Apollo 11, 12 and 17 missions—alongside control earth soil and a lunar soil simulant made from volcanic ash. Each plant was allotted only a gram of the lunar soil for the study. 

Source: https://modernfarmer.com

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Starliner Launches to Space Station on Uncrewed Flight Test for NASA.

Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner is in orbit, heading for the International Space Station following launch Thursday of the next-generation spacecraft on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket on a mission designed to test the end-to-end capabilities of the crew-capable system as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Starliner lifted off on NASA’s Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) at 6:54 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Following an orbital insertion burn 31 minutes later, Starliner was on its way for a rendezvous and docking with the space station.

Launch and orbital insertion are major milestones for the company’s second uncrewed flight, bringing the U.S. closer to having two independent crew systems flying missions to and from the space station.

Starliner is scheduled to dock to the forward port of the station’s Harmony module about 7:10 p.m. Friday, May 20. After a successful docking, the crew of Expedition 67 will open Starliner’s hatch about 11:45 a.m. Saturday, May 21. Coverage of docking and hatch opening will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

Source: www.nasa.gov

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Dr. Frank Wilczek receives the 2022 Templeton Prize.

Frank Wilczek, a Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist and author, and professor at four universities among them Stockholm University, is awarded the 2022 Templeton Prize. 

He was awarded to  honour his extraordinary depth and breadth of knowledge which is contributing to the Physics research community.

The Templeton Prize, valued at more than $1.3 million, is one of the world's largest annual individual awards. Established by the late global investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton, it is given to honor those who harness the power of the sciences to explore the deepest questions of the universe and humankind’s place and purpose within it.

Source: www.su.se

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The Super Flower Blood Moon lunar eclipse of 2022 occurs tonight.

The event, known as a lunar eclipse, will see the full Flower Moon temporarily turn red overnight on Sunday (May 15) and Monday (May 16), depending on where you are standing. You can watch the Flower Blood Moon eclipse in webcasts, starting at 9:30 p.m. EDT (0130 GMT).

While timing depends on your location, here's when to look for the total eclipse. TimeandDate.com says the partial eclipse phase of the moon begins May 15 at 10:28 p.m. EDT (0228 GMT on May 16). The Blood Moon peak starts May 16 at 12:11 a.m. EDT (0411 GMT). Then the event ends at 1:55 a.m. EDT (0555 GMT). 

Source: www.space.com

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The First Image of Our Galaxy's Central Black Hole.

The Event Horizon Collaboration, the group behind the first-ever image of a black hole, just achieved another huge accomplishment: an image of Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. This is a breakthrough in our understanding of our home galaxy and the astrophysics of its center.

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is a consortium of radio telescopes around the world. By combining the observations of these telescopes, the team is able to see black holes, regions of spacetime with such intense gravity that not even light can escape them. The image released today shows the shadow of Sagittarius A* (pronounced “A star”) as well as the high-energy region around it.

Source: https://gizmodo.com

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Andy Jassy officially takes over as Amazon CEO from Jeff Bezos.

Jeff Bezos, who has served as the CEO of Amazon since founding the company exactly 27 years ago on July 5th, 1994, has officially stepped down from the role. Andy Jassy is now listed as the company’s CEO on its investor relations website, after previously having run Amazon Web Services since 2003, while Bezos is listed as Executive Chair. The July 5th handover date was previously announced in a shareholder meeting in May.

It’s an important moment for Amazon, which has had the same CEO for the entirety of its existence. Under Bezos’ leadership, the company survived the dot-com bubble bursting in the late 90s to become one of the world’s most prominent technology companies. Amazon currently dominates online commerce in the US and parts of Europe, and serves as a backbone to much of the modern web thanks to Amazon Web Services.

Bezos’ successor, Andy Jassy, joined the company shortly after graduating from Harvard Business School in 1997, and has led AWS since the team was founded in 2003. He was officially named the division’s CEO in 2016. At the end of 2020, AWS controlled around a third of the total cloud computing market, according to Synergy Research, which is about as much as its closest rivals Microsoft and Google, combined. Jassy’s route is similar to that of current Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who previously ran the company’s Azure cloud business.

Source: www.theverge.com

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1,700-year-old sandal found on a remote mountain in Norway.

A team of researchers working on what has been named the "Secrets of the Ice" project has come into possession of a 1,500-year-old shoe that was found in a Norwegian alpine pass—one that resembles an ancient Roman sandal. The group has not yet published their paper describing their work analyzing the shoe but has posted updates on Facebook and Twitter.

Researchers working on the project have been canvassing the high mountain areas in Norway that are believed to be part of ancient passes—where people walked back and forth between valleys in the mountains and coastal areas—for the past 15 years. During that time, they have found a large number of artifacts, from horse bones to dung and horseshoes. But the human shoe is unique due to its age.

In studying the shoe, the researchers found it to be approximately 1,500 years old—and it had been found at an elevation of approximately 2,000 meters above sea level and far from the coast. It represented a mystery due to its construction, since it would not have served very well in an icy realm. Indeed, it very much looked like sandals worn by people in much warmer parts of the Roman Empire. The researchers suspect it was discarded by someone who had found it less than useful in the snow and ice. Still, the researchers insist finding it adds another piece to the puzzle of the mountain passes in the region and the people who used them. They also suggest that the sandal may have only been a part of the footwear, noting that the person who wore it likely covered their foot with some sort of fabric before adding the sandal.

Source: https://phys.org

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Estonia hosts the world's largest cyber exercise.

The Tallinn, Estonia NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, abbreviated as CCDCOE, is organising the Locked Shields 2022, the largest and most complex annual international live-fire cyber defence exercise in the world. This year’s exercise has particular importance as it takes place amid the rising threat of cyber-attacks since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

At the exercise Cyber experts practise the protection of national civilian and military IT systems and critical infrastructure in a large-scale cyber-attack. It is conducted under conditions of intense pressure, with teams countering a series of sophisticated cyberattacks.

The exercise provides an opportunity to practice cooperation in a crisis situation between both civilian and military units, as well as public and private sectors, as in the event of a large-scale cyber-attack these tactical and strategic decision-makers must work together.

The exercise is organised by the CCDCOE in cooperation with NATO, Siemens, Microsoft, Tallinn University of Technology and other partners.

The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence is a NATO-accredited cyber defence hub that supports the alliance’s member nations and the alliance itself with cyber defence expertise.

Source: https://estonianworld.com

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Elon Musk to acquire Twitter in $44 billion deal.

The social media giant confirmed Monday 25 April 2022 the Tesla CEO and billionaire will acquire the company in a deal worth $44 billion. Once the deal is complete, which is expected by this year, Twitter will become a privately held company.

Source: www.usatoday.com

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Russia test-fired the “RS-28 SARMAT,” nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his military had successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a big nuclear payload, but the Pentagon said the missile did not pose a substantial danger to the US. Russia’s most powerful ICBM is the RS-28 Sarmat, dubbed “Satan 2” by NATO.

The Sarmat is a super-heavy, thermonuclear-armed intercontinental-range ballistic missile. It was supposed to take the place of the Soviet-built Voevoda, which had three warheads and was designed in 1962. It weighs 200 metric tonnes (220 tonnes) and has a longer range, allowing it to fly across the North and South poles and strike targets anywhere on the planet. The Sarmat, carries a greater number of more potent nuclear warheads.

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

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Israel successfully tests new laser missile defense system.

Israel’s defence ministry announced that its new laser missile defence system successfully neutralised drones, rockets, mortars, and anti-tank missiles in a recent test.

According to Defence Minister Benny Gantz, this Israeli-made laser system will complement the country’s air defence system, including the famed Iron Dome, adding that it will be inducted “as soon as possible”.

Source: www.defensenews.com

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WhatsApp voice messages gets new features.

WhatsApp is adding some new features for audio messages, some of which were already present for iOS users. 

But it appears that these are getting a wider rollout overall and will be coming to more users on Android and iOS. 

According to WhatsApp, users send 7 billion voice messages on average per day on the platform and that explains why the company is adding some new features to voice messages.

The new features are as follows: 

• Out of Chat Playback: Now users will be able to listen to a voice message outside of the chat so one can multitask or read and respond to other messages, while the audio will continue to play

• Pause/Resume Recording: When recording a voice message, users will now be able to pause the recording and resume when they are ready.

• Waveform Visualisation: The new features also include a visual representation of the sound on the voice message to help follow the recording. Some iOS and Android beta users might have already seen this feature.

• Draft Preview: Users will be able to save a draft and listen to the voice message before sending them.

• Remember Playback: If you pause when listening to a voice message, you can now pick up where you left off when you return to the chat.

• Fast Playback on Forwarded Messages:  Users will be able to play voice messages at 1.5x or 2x speeds to listen to messages faster.  This now applies to both regular and forwarded messages.

WhatsApp will be rolling these out in the coming weeks for all users. It is recommended that users update to the latest version of the app to get the new features.

Source: https://indianexpress.com

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Germany will get weaponized drones for the first time.

Germany will get weaponized drones for the first time after years of debate, parliamentary sources told AFP Wednesday, as the EU giant, shaken by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, moves to ramp up its defense capabilities, turning to Israel for its military needs.

Parliamentary defense committee approved the purchase of 140 Heron TP armed drones from Israel in a contract worth $165 million, sources said.

The drones are expected to be delivered within two years, with 60 of them to be used for training purposes while the remaining 80 will be used for “operational deployment.”

Germany is also mulling acquiring an anti-missile shield system from Israel. The Arrow 3 system, costing around two billion euros ($2.2 billion), is powerful enough to offer protective cover for neighboring EU nations.

Source: www.timesofisrael.com

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‘World’s largest electric cruise ship’ makes maiden voyage in China.

In what is being dubbed the “world’s largest electric cruise ship,” the Yangtze River Three Gorges 1 recently completed its maiden voyage out of its home port in Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province. The 100 meter long, zero-emissions ship can haul up to 1,300 passengers at a time and is powered by batteries totaling 7,500 kWh, equivalent to over 100 EVs.

The Yangtze River Three Gorges 1 is a 100% electric cruise ship developed and built in China to transport passengers on sightseeing tours on the Yangtze River.

The ship was developed by China Yangtze Power, a subsidiary of China Three Gorges Corp, and Hubei Three Gorges Tourism Group to the tune of 150 million yuan ($23.66 million).

Source: In what is being dubbed the “world’s largest electric cruise ship,” the Yangtze River Three Gorges 1 recently completed its maiden voyage out of its home port in Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province. The 100 meter long, zero-emissions ship can haul up to 1,300 passengers at a time and is powered by batteries totaling 7,500 kWh, equivalent to over 100 EVs.

The Yangtze River Three Gorges 1 is a 100% electric cruise ship developed and built in China to transport passengers on sightseeing tours on the Yangtze River.

The ship was developed by China Yangtze Power, a subsidiary of China Three Gorges Corp, and Hubei Three Gorges Tourism Group to the tune of 150 million yuan ($23.66 million).

Source: https://electrek.co

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Pakistan successfully conducts Test Flight of Ballistic Missile Shaheen-III.

Pakistan's Army on Saturday 09 April conducted a successful flight test of the surface-to-surface medium-range ballistic missile Shaheen-III which can strike targets up to 2,750 kilometres, bringing a number of Indian cities under its range.

Shaheen-III is a surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 2,750 kilometres, which makes it capable of reaching the farthest point in India's northeast and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Dawn newspaper reported.

It is solid-fuelled and equipped with the Post-Separation Altitude Correction (PSAC) system.

Solid fuel is suited for rapid response capabilities, while the PSAC feature provides it the ability to adjust the warhead trajectory for greater accuracy and evading anti-ballistic missile defence systems, the report said.

The missile was first tested in March 2015.

Source: www.ndtv.com

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China successfully launched a new Earth observation satellite Gaofen-3

China successfully launched a new Earth observation satellite Gaofen-3 03 on April 07, 2022, from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on board a Long March-4C rocket. The new satellite will become part of its land-sea radar satellite constellation by forming a network with the orbiting Gaofen-3 and Gaofen-3 02 satellites.

They will then capture reliable, stable synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, to help Beijing safeguard its maritime rights and interests.

The Earth Observation (EO) satellites produce a large number of SAR images every day, which are characterised by all-weather operation, high spatial resolution, among other things.

Source: www.nasaspaceflight.com

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Spacetech start-up Pixxel launches first satellite with Space X.

Pixxel, a space data startup, launched its first fully operational satellite, TD-2, on SpaceX’s Transporter-4 mission. TD-2 is Pixxel’s first full-fledged satellite, carrying one of the highest-resolution hyperspectral commercial cameras ever flown, taking the company one step closer to developing a global health monitoring system that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The launch, according to the business, brings it closer to completing its aim of assembling one of the world’s most advanced constellations of low-earth-orbit imaging satellites and bringing the benefits of space to Earth. ” Life has certainly come full circle for us, from being one of the few finalists in the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition in 2017 to now launching our own satellites as part of SpaceX’s fourth dedicated rideshare mission.

About TD-2:

TD-2 will begin gathering data and discovering the invisible changes wreaking havoc on our worlds, such as natural gas leakages, deforestation, melting ice caps, pollution, and poor crop health.

The launch also prepares Pixxel for the launch of its first commercial phase satellites in early 2023, as well as the commercial sale of its data.

Pixxel’s hyperspectral constellation will be able to cover any place on the world every 48 hours, thanks to six satellites in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) around a 550-kilometre altitude.

Dimensions of TD-2:

TD-2, which weighs less than 15 kilogrammes, can capture orbital images in more than 150 bands of colour from the visible and infrared spectrum with a resolution of 10-meters per pixel, far exceeding the specificity of 30-meter-per-pixel hyperspectral satellites launched by a few select organisations such as NASA, ESA, and ISRO, according to the company.

Source: www.businesstoday.in

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NASA finds over 5,000 worlds beyond our solar system.

The count of confirmed new worlds outside of our solar system just ticked beyond 5,000 with the discovery of 65 new exoplanets, confirmed National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The latest contribution to the NASA Exoplanet Archive, which records exoplanet discoveries that appear in peer-reviewed, scientific papers, comes as NASA's $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope readies for planet-gazing operations in deep space.

NASA Exoplanet Archive is the main database of exoplanet discoveries from peer- reviewed scientific papers that are confirmed using various methods of planet detection

Source: https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu

 

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