24 Jun 2021

NASA Announces Two Missions to Venus

NASA has announced to future missions that will hopefully shed more light on the mystery planet that is Venus. Venus has characteristics almost identical to Earth. However, currently, scientists know so little about the planet itself. When comparing Venus to Earth, both worlds have complex weather systems, size, atmospheric composition, and density. Both planets are near the sun, with Venus being thirty percent closer to it than Earth. Scientist also refer to Venus as Earth’s sister planet because of its volcanic activity, plateaus, and water availability. In order to help with lack of knowledge about the fiery planet, NASA has planned two missions codenamed DAVINCI+ and VERITAS to study the planet further. The mission’s primary goal is to design a detailed 3-D model of Venus to better understand the planet’s environmental makeup, features, activity atmosphere, and more.

With the excitement building of new exploration and understanding also comes new groundbreaking technology to aid discovery. Mission VERITAS will use technologies like an atomic clock in deep space with great precision that will allow spacecraft to traverse and approach the planet. Once this 3-D model of Venus is created, scientists believe that things like real-time evaluations of the planet will presumably be achievable. With $500 million given for the missions, NASA plans a launch date anywhere between 2028 and 2030. While this undertaking will undoubtedly be an immense challenge, the information that NASA could unlock with these missions could rewrite our understanding of Venus.

27 May 2021

Dr. Charles H. Townes Speech – Revisited

Dr. Townes and the first maser

The human mind has given us some of the most outstanding achievements throughout history. As our thirst for knowledge and understanding continues to grow, new ideas are born. One of those great minds was Charles Hard Townes, the inventor of the maser, the precursor to the laser. Dr. Townes wasn’t just an inventor but also a patriot serving his country in war and a brilliant university professor. During World War II, he worked under Bell Labs as a radar technician in the hope that his expertise would turn the tables on the enemy. This effort would give birth to the shortest wavelength radar by seeing the effects of light on it. Upon returning from the Navy, he would lead a research team at Columbia University, where he and his team would study molecules.

After becoming a professor at Columbia, he and his dedicated students would design a molecule oscillator that would be endlessly argued over. From the discussion with his students, Townes and others arrived at their latest invention — the maser, Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission Radiation. Dr. Townes was an example that both patients and trial and error can lead to remarkable discovery and creation. In October 2010, Dr. Townes give a speech at Lenox Laser during our one of our light seminars entitled “How New Things Happen.” During the speech, he mentioned that ideas often happen by accident. Those accidents can involve a network of people. One’s patience can be rewarded in unexpected ways while still reaching your goal in the end.

Townes’s legacy and contributions to history remain greatly appreciated and never forgotten. Please visit the Industrial Institute of Optics to read or watch Dr. Townes’s speech in its entirety.

13 May 2021

SpaceX and the Inspiration4

               SpaceX has done extraordinary things over the years, making a name for itself with several missions to study the universe. This September, they plan to make history again with a first-of-its-kind mission entirely made up of civilians. The four-person crew will be entering low Earth orbit for a 3-day duration. The targeted date for no later than September 15. The crew members chosen are geoscientist Dr. Sian Proctor who completed four previous NASA missions, former Air Force member Chris Sembroski who served as a space camp counselor working with Lockheed Martin and earned a degree in aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Another member is 29-year-old Hayley Arceneaux, a bone cancer survivor and former patient of St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Hayley has a physician’s assistant degree and will also be the youngest person ever to travel to space. Hayley was chosen by St. Jude’s themselves to go on this civilian-only mission. The man behind this idea and the last member is Jared Isaacman, the billionaire CEO of Shift4 Payments. He will also serve as commander. Jared will give all money from this endeavor to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

               Training for missions usually takes around two years, but for this Dragon crew, time is short. The training provided by NASA will be based on a NASA-approved curriculum. Given the mission only lasting three days, the team will not need to learn traditional spacewalks and station operations training. Isaacman plans to put the crew through their paces, testing them in isolated environments in close quarters. The mission will get to space using a retooled Falcon 9 rocket from past Dragon crew missions. With this mission being the first all civilian crew flight, it will set a record for history. None of the four people selected have past space experience but have worked with the government and other divisions. They will receive commercial-style training and be the first to complete a space mission with no government oversight. Isaacman could not be more thrilled partnering with SpaceX; with their past achievements, he knew that they were the right people for the job. For Hayley, being a part of this mission was a dream come true, and her family was happy to do anything to make it happen.

               This mission is extraordinary because not only does it give ordinary people a fantastic opportunity, but it also gives hope to the many people fighting cancer. For more information, please visit Inspiration4’s website. If you would like to read more about this, please click here for an article about it from MSN.

6 May 2021

Potential for Microbial Life on Mars

Courtesy of NASA

When the Mars Perseverance rover landed on the planet in February, it astonished the world with detailed photos of the planet and audio of the surface. After discovering water and ice on Mars, the next endeavor starting the search for evidence of possible life and life-supporting properties on the planet. A new study conducted by the Astrobiology Journal concluded that there is indeed the right amount of ingredients to support microbial life. The study looked at the planet’s Martian meteorites and their chemical makeup. Observing the chemical reaction whenever these meteorites had continuous constant contact with water once the meteorites fell back to Earth.

Among the many reactions studied, Radiolysis was of massive interest. The reaction is created when radioactive elements like potassium uranium and thorium could be converted sulfates, so much so that they tap water. One of the reasons is that there’s water on the planet because there is a flowing lake somewhere on the planet in the subsurface. It is now believed that once the components of that lake are studied further, how microbial life could exist could possibly be revealed. Also, different wavelengths of light being investigated to potentially give way to a better understanding of Mars’s past.

Further study will be ongoing, but the full extent of the findings may not be known for some time. The idea of life on another planet could be an extraordinary mark left on history forever.

If you would like to read more, please click here.

29 Apr 2021

2012 Psychophysics Study Using Optical Slits

               Over the years, science has given us many ways of studying and exploring vast possibilities. One of those miraculous ways is psychophysics, which is defined as the part of psychology the deals with mental phenomena and physical stimulation. Psychophysics works by studying the specifics of physical stimulation and sensation and looking at the responses produced. In psychophysics, three models of study are most used: the method of constant stimuli, the method of limits, and the method of adjustment. The limits method determines the sensory threshold by increasing or decreasing stimulus level gradually. The method of adjustment is, as it sounds, studying the patient’s adjustment to stimulus levels. These are just some examples of what psychophysics can do. Young’s double-slit formula is another physics example using light that studies and displays light particles’ characteristics and defines light waves.

               In a 2012 study, the double-slit experiment was used in about 25 people to record their individual reactions to stimulus. With the initially planned analysis, there was no psychophysical effect found on the subjects. However, as the study notes, there may be causal links found with more detailed analyses. It will be interesting to see just how far the evolution of psychophysics will go, along with the uses of Young’s double-slit experiment. Science never stops evolving, and neither should our eagerness to learn all that we can for future endeavors. That curiosity could make the future even brighter. To look at the study more in-depth, please click here.

               At Lenox Laser, we offer various optical products including Double Slits. We have everything from apertures and slits, pinholes for photography, gas and liquid separators, and more. To see our product line, please visit us here and explore our many variations and possibilities.

1 Apr 2021

The Moxie Box – NASA’s Oxygen Box

Courtesy of NASA

               About a month and a half ago, NASA’s Perseverance rover made landfall on Mars, bringing audio and video skimming across the planet’s surface. NASA sent the rover to Mars on a mission that ended in February this year to search for signs of life on the planet by collecting many different rock samples and broken rock and soil mixture called regolith. Mars is not the safest environment for human exploration. Its harsh atmosphere is a mix of molecular oxygen, carbon monoxide, dioxide argon, and molecular nitrogen.

Carrying several thousand pounds of oxygen for any mission on a rocket can be challenging. NASA created a box codenamed Moxie to take on the challenge. The Moxie box is almost no larger than a car battery. However, it allows explorers to traverse the planet’s surface for longer because Moxie would convert Mars’s environment into breathable air for the astronauts. The Moxie box weighs in total about 33 pounds and cost about $50 million to make.

               The Moxie box works by siphoning carbon dioxide; then, theoretically, it would split molecules electrochemically into oxygen and carbon monoxide. The Moxie box would mix in a tremendous amount of oxygen with the carbon monoxide. Scientists have plans of making more extensive versions of the Moxie box. At its current size, it should be able to produce about 10 grams of oxygen per hour. The box consumes 300 Watts of power.

               Once perfected, this box would be a game-changer for astronauts and planetary exploration. With the successful use of the box on board the Perseverance rover in February 2021, it is hoped that larger-scale devices can be launched possibly sometime in 2030 and beyond.

If you would like to read more, click here for an article by Popular Mechanics.

25 Mar 2021

NASA and SpaceX International Space Station Agreement

The International Space Station (ISS) has a storied history. It took over 30 missions and thousands of person-hours to complete. It was clear that The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) would need a space station to study the vastness of space in minute detail in the space age. The ISS began its construction in 1998 when the first segment launching in a Russian proton rocket on November 20 of that year. NASA engineers completed the massive station’s main parts in 2011, and the station has been occupied by astronauts and scientists since 2000. The ISS now enters its Golden age with a new agreement between SpaceX and NASA. 

The agreement allows SpaceX and NASA to work on any project together for the space station. The Starlink program by SpaceX, which is now the largest existing on the orbiting spacecraft group, is also part of the agreement. SpaceX recently launched 60 additional satellites for their internet network on March 24. This agreement is important as it allows both parties to work smoothly and in unison.

NASA’s taxi ride program, which is still in development with SpaceX, will allow quick and easy transport to and from the ISS on shorter missions. If all goes to plan, this taxi ride program could launch sometime in 2022 with NASA’s approval. Should the taxi ride program be successful, companies would plan additional missions, up to two per year, lasting a month each. Boeing is also interested in partnering on this venture.

This agreement is a huge step forward in the history of space exploration. It will be exciting to see what can be achieved in the future of the ISS. It will also help strengthen and speed up communication between the two parties. SpaceX is an upcoming launch on April 22 for the Falcon 9 Crew 2 mission.

If you wish to read more, click here for an article by TechCrunch and here for an article by phys.org.

11 Mar 2021

James Webb Space Telescope Final Tests

Courtesy of NASA

               Since its creation in 1996, the James Webb telescope has been a monolithic-sized project in scope and scale. The telescopes’ purpose is in-depth investigations of stars and galaxies, not only studying them but going deep inside them and studying them. This could potentially help scientists map the stars and planets. Webb is expected to be the world’s premier space observatory. Once fully operational and tested, the telescope is expected to launch into space on October 31st of this year. James Webb has some last-minute functionality tests to complete but once done, it will be 100% ready for launch on Halloween.

The project has passed many tests and milestones in recent months and years that ensure prospects become a reality. In December 2020, completed environmental testing of its sunshield deployments, to replacing turntables in 2019, the James Webb telescope’s build was completed in 2016. Testing and adjustments have been ongoing ever since. Webb completed a fully functional crown test of all its instruments in August of last year. It is not yet known exactly where in space the telescope will be launched when it finally happens. It is the definitive predecessor to the Hubble telescope. With the coronavirus pandemic still ongoing, scientists and engineers are taking every precaution possible during final preparations for launch. So far, James Webb’s team has confirmed that the telescope is sound enough to survive the rigorous tensions of the upcoming launch the satellite will experience.

To see a detailed timeline of the telescope, please click here.

4 Mar 2021

NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover

NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover is making waves by sending its first hi-resolution images of Mars back to Earth. Perseverance is the fifth Mars Rover and the most technically advanced yet. For the first time in history, the Rover recorded the sound of Mars’s surface; 11 mile-per-hour winds could also be heard. Perseverance had been traveling since July 30 of last year and touched down on the planet’s surface on February 18, 2021. The current mission is scheduled to last for two years. Perseverance aims to study information about the geological processes that created the crust and surface of Mars and how it evolved over time.

Past findings have also indicated sources of water on the planet’s surface. As far as the planet’s environment goes, it has been found to have seasonal temperature changes, polar ice caps, past volcanic activity, found to be very dusty and cold. The idea of life on the planet has been explored in the past. In the last few days, a 360° panoramic view using high-resolution photos of Mars has been constructed and made available to the public. It shows the planet’s surface and the environment in detail never seen before.

Some of the challenges that the Rover faced were things like making sure the equipment could survive the extremely harsh atmosphere of the planet. In fact, at one point, the Rover’s systems went into safe mode shortly after launch. Despite this, the landing was a stunning success, and the ongoing mission continues to be very fruitful. 

What the future holds for Mars, mankind does not yet know. However, with technology on his side, we are very excited to find out just how bright that future could be. To see the panoramic photos in full, please click here.

18 Feb 2021

New Wearable Sensor for Saliva and Tear Production

In the medical industry today, many wearable health devices can help people track things like heart health, diabetes, exercise, blood pressure, and so much more. Heart monitors, fitness trackers, Smartwatches, eyewear, and even clothing are just some things that can allow consumers to track their health and well-being. Another handy device could be on the way, thanks to scientists at Penn State University. The device will monitor your health and administer needed medication to assist a patient’s saliva and natural tears. Most importantly, if approved, it would have to be a low-cost option for patients that want to use it. The device would also help manage and possibly detect certain diseases such as oral cancer and infections, oral ulcers, and many types of eye infections. The device functions by using a microneedle to effortlessly and safely deliver the correct dosage of any prescribed medication that the patient may need through the skin, eye, or tongue. This is achieved by micro to nano steel ports on the structure to deliver the medication even as deep as the patient’s individual cells in their body.

As far as Penn State’s involvement in this process, Professor Huanyu Chang in the Penn State Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics hopes to not only expand this potential miracle technology to other medical uses and applications, but he also hopes that it will be a beacon of hope for people in desperate need of relief from painful ailments. The data of different bodily readings could be readily displayed on a patient’s computer, tablet, or smartphone. Not only that, but the patient would have rapid, accurate results in the shortest amount of time possible.

While this exciting new technology is a long way from being perfected, it is hoped that it can be applied to many applications and devices, big or small, when it is it. The ability to quickly see test results and reading will allow doctors to diagnose and treat their patients much sooner than traditional methods.

If you would like to read more about the subject, please click here.

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