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☆ Nearly 30,000 objects are hurtling through near-Earth orbit. That’s not just a problem for space
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Bill Weir | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Then there is the space junk — nearly 30,000 objects bigger than a softball hurtling a few hundred miles above Earth, ten times faster than a bullet. Other analysts recently estimated the number likely to make it to orbit is closer to 20,000. “Ten years ago, people thought that our founder was crazy for even talking about space debris,” Ron Lopez told CNN while strolling past the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. The satellite, named “On Closer Inspection,” will observe the motions of a rocket stage that was left in low-Earth orbit in 2009. Astroscale’s mission will use cameras and sensors to study the rocket debris and figure out how to get it out of orbit.

Persons: ”, Troy Thornberry, “, ” Thornberry, Neil Armstrong’s, Donald Kessler, “ Kessler, Ron Lopez, ” Lopez, Lopez, Astroscale Organizations: CNN, Sputnik, NOAA, NOAA’s Chemical Sciences Laboratory, US, Surveillance, NASA, SpaceX, Space, Smithsonian Air, Space Museum, Rocket, Rocket Lab Locations: Washington ,, Astroscale, New Zealand, Japan

☆ Saturn’s ‘Death Star’ moon is hiding an internal ocean, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Astronomers have uncovered additional evidence that one of Saturn’s smallest moons, Mimas, is hiding a global ocean beneath its icy surface. Discovered in 1789 by English astronomer William Herschel as a tiny dot near Saturn, Mimas was first imaged from space by the Voyager probes in 1980. Craters cover the surface of Mimas, but the largest one is 80 miles (about 130 kilometers) across and causes the moon to resemble the Death Star from the “Star Wars” films. But Saturn’s Enceladus appears younger because active geysers have contributed to resurfacing, or depositing of new, fresh material on that moon’s surface. “Mimas certainly demonstrates that moons with old surfaces can be hiding young oceans, which is pretty exciting,” Rhoden said.

Persons: Mimas, Cassini, William Herschel, Observatoire, Dr, Valéry Lainey, Lainey, ”, Nick Cooper, Saturn, ” Lainey, “, Triton, Frédéric, ” Cooper, “ Lainey, Matija Ćuk, Alyssa Rose Rhoden, Rhoden Organizations: CNN —, Saturn, Voyager, “, Physical, Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, NASA, Clipper, SETI Institute, Southwest Research Locations: Paris, California, Colorado

☆ UN says ozone layer slowly healing, hole to mend by 2066
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Earth’s protective ozone layer is slowly but noticeably healing at a pace that would fully mend the hole over Antarctica in about 43 years, a new United Nations report says. “In the upper stratosphere and in the ozone hole we see things getting better,” said Paul Newman, co-chair of the scientific assessment. Natural weather patterns in the Antarctic also affect ozone hole levels, which peak in the fall. A third generation of those chemicals, called HFC, was banned a few years ago not because it would eat at the ozone layer but because it is a heat-trapping greenhouse gas. The report also warned that efforts to artificially cool the planet by putting aerosols into the atmosphere to reflect the sunlight would thin the ozone layer by as much as 20% in Antarctica.

Research into lithium-sulfur batteries promises to improve the useful life of current batteries. The new technology allows a 5-fold increase in energy density over lithium-ion batteries. But due to the scarcity of materials and technological limitations, it doesn't look like these figures will increase much with lithium-ion batteries. Our integrated system approach enabled us to address the overarching challenges of lithium-sulfur batteries," he continued. Through recycling bulletproof vests, it's possible to obtain the aramid fibers needed for the membrane, and it's easier to obtain sulfur than the more scarce cobalt used in lithium-ion batteries.

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