GoKawiilThe space agency will lift the orbit of a falling satellite by around 200 kilometres. Plus, Europe’s efforts to take on the US and China as a science superpower and the narcissism of bosses who want to nix remote working.
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The LINK spacecraft (centre) is tested at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The craft is scheduled to blast off as early as 27 June on a satellite-rescue mission.Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts
NASA is preparing to launch a first-of-its-kind mission to rescue an ageing satellite from an impending fiery death. The mission aims to raise the orbit of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which gathers valuable data on cosmic explosions but is slowly falling to Earth. The robotic craft will fly to Swift, grab it with extendable arms and ferry it upwards by around 200 kilometres. That should be high enough to get Swift past the atmospheric drag that would otherwise force it to fall out of the sky by the end of this year.
Nature | 5 min read
A new type of liquid can harvest and store energy from light to act as a rechargeable power source. The liquid contains two types of molecule, one of which donates an electron to the other when exposed to light. The donation prompts the liquid to restructure into a jelly-like substance. This gel remains stable for months at a time and can release the stored electrons upon contact with oxygen to power chemical reactions. The research is still in very early stages, but such a metal-free energy storage system could one day be useful to power small devices such as smartwatches.
Science | 4 min read
Reference: Chem paper
An unusual comet that shot through the Solar System last year — and tempted some to dabble in the idea that it was an alien spaceship — could have formed as long as 12 billion years ago. From the chemical composition of the comet, 3I/ATLAS, researchers estimate that it formed relatively early in the history of the Universe, after an intense period of star formation. Gathering data on more interstellar objects — those that aren’t tied to an orbit and can ‘wander’ the galaxy — could “totally revolutionize what we know about the field of interstellar comets, but also star and planet formation in general”, says planetary scientist Darryl Seligman.
Science | 5 min read
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