SciByte

large metal rings (likely made of lithium

Last month

presented their mission analysis for a trip to Mars, along with detailed computer modeling and initial experimental results

one of a handful of projects awarded a second round of funding last fall after already receiving phase-one money in a field of 15 projects chosen from more than 700 proposals

NASA estimates a round-trip human expedition to Mars would take more than four years using current technology

team have published papers calculating the potential for 30- and 90-day expeditions to Mars using a rocket powered by fusion, which would make the trip more practical and less costly

They have demonstrated successful lab tests of all portions of the process

Now, the key will be combining each isolated test into a final experiment that produces fusion using this technology

The research team has developed a type of plasma that is encased in its own magnetic field

Nuclear fusion occurs when this plasma is compressed to high pressure with a magnetic field.

The team has successfully tested this technique in the lab.

a small grain of sand of this material has the same energy content as 1 gallon of rocket fuel.

power a rocket, the team has devised a system in which a powerful magnetic field causes large metal rings to implode around this plasma, compressing it to a fusion state

The converging rings merge to form a shell that ignites the fusion, but only for a few microseconds

enough energy is released from the fusion reactions to quickly heat and ionize the shell

This super-heated, ionized metal is ejected out of the rocket nozzle at a high velocity. This process is repeated every minute or so, propelling the spacecraft

successfully demonstrated the metal-crushing process

The team had a sample of the collapsed, fist-sized aluminum ring resulting from one of those tests on hand for people to see and touch at the recent NASA symposium

Now, the team is working to bring it all together by using the technology to compress the plasma and create nuclear fusion

With the flip of a switch, the capacitors are simultaneously triggered to deliver 1 million amps of electricity for a fraction of a second to the magnet, which quickly compresses the metal ring.

The mechanical process and equipment used are reasonably straightforward

In actual space travel, scientists would use lithium metal as the crushing rings to power the rocket. Lithium is very reactive, and for lab-testing purposes, aluminum works just as well

Nuclear fusion may draw concern because of its application in nuclear bombs, but its use in this scenario is very different

The fusion energy for powering a rocket would be reduced by a factor of 1 billion from a hydrogen bomb, too little to create a significant explosion

Also,

concept uses a strong magnetic field to contain the fusion fuel and guide it safely away from the spacecraft and any passengers within

The results provided the most precise measurements ever made of isotopes of argon in the Martian atmosphere

found

the clearest and most robust signature of atmospheric loss on Mars

Isotopes are variants of the same element with different atomic weights

SAM found that the Martian atmosphere has about four times as much of a lighter stable isotope (argon-36) compared to a heavier one (argon-38)

This removes previous uncertainty about the ratio in the Martian atmosphere from 1976 measurements from NASA's Viking project and from small volumes of argon extracted from Martian meteorites

The ratio is much lower than the solar system's original ratio, as estimated from argon-isotope measurements of the sun and Jupiter

This points to a process at Mars that favored preferential loss of the lighter isotope over the heavier one

Curiosity measures several variables

with the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS),

daily air temperature has climbed steadily since the measurements began eight months ago and is not strongly tied to the rover's location

humidity has differed significantly at different places along the rover's route

Trails of dust devils have not been seen inside Gale Crater

REMS sensors detected many whirlwind patterns during the first hundred Martian days of the mission, though not as many as detected in the same length of time by earlier missions

Curiosity will be drilling into another rock where the rover is now, but that target has not yet been selected. The science team will discuss this over the conjunction period

For the rest of April, Curiosity will carry out daily activities for which commands were sent in March, using DAN, REMS and the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD).

ChemCam reveals a complex chemical composition of the dust that includes hydrogen, which could be in the form of hydroxyl groups or water molecules

could potentially provide energy for life if it has found its way into the moon’s subsurface ocean.

The availability of oxidants like peroxide on Earth was a critical part of the rise of complex, multicellular life

The highest concentration of peroxide found was on the side of Europa that always leads in its orbit around Jupiter,

roughly 20 times more diluted than the hydrogen peroxide mixture available at drug stores

The concentration

then drops off to nearly zero on the hemisphere of Europa that faces backward in its orbit.

Hydrogen peroxide was first detected on Europa by NASA’s Galileo mission, which explored the Jupiter system from 1995 to 2003

Galileo observations were of a limited region. The new Keck data show that peroxide is widespread across much of the surface of Europa, and the highest concentrations are reached in regions where Europa’s ice is nearly pure water with very little sulfur contamination

scientists think hydrogen peroxide is an important factor for the habitability of the global liquid water ocean under Europa’s icy crust

hydrogen peroxide decays to oxygen when mixed into liquid water

abundant compounds like peroxide could help to satisfy the chemical energy requirement needed for life within the ocean, if the peroxide is mixed into the ocean

Europa recently hit the headlines after planetary scientists

uncovered the presence of magnesium sulfate salt — a.k.a. Epsom salt — on Europa’s surface

the presence of magnesium sulfate is suggestive of a cycling of Europa’s salty ocean with the surface.

Although this is good news, it’s also a reminder that potentially habitable moons don’t only orbit Jupiter

Enceladus

the Saturnian moon

is known to possess salty liquid water beneath its surface, plus an internal heat source, that generates Enceladus’ famous geysers

The new solution is composed of three parts: a case with a microphone and battery; wireless, optical signal and energy transmission between the outer and middle ear; and an electro-acoustic transducer – the centerpiece and loudspeaker of the implant.

Researchers

are developing the electro-acoustic transducer, which will be round in shape and measure approximately 1.2 millimeters

To implant our system, all surgeons have to do is make a small incision at the side of the eardrum and then fold it forward. This can be done in outpatient surgery."

takes the form of a piezoelectric micro-actuator, is then placed directly at the connection between the middle and inner ear known as the "round window"

there it transmits acoustic signals to the inner ear in the form of amplified mechanical vibrations, thereby enhancing the hearing capacity of patients

it can output volumes of up to 120 decibels, which is roughly the noise a jackhammer makes.

This high performance is necessary for very good speech comprehension, particularly for high-pitched sounds, which people who are severely hard of hearing find especially difficult to pick up

currently testing a first working prototype in the laboratory. Results have been positive to date

The individual components of the hearing aid have all been developed. The next step is to optimize and assemble them

The implant must measure up to high requirements: the material must be encased so the body tolerates it and it has to remain stable over long periods

hearing aid implants should last at least ten years

optimized individual components should be ready by June of this year; testing of the overall system is planned for 2014

The technique worked excellently in mice

ready to move on to trials in larger animals, then people

This innovative treatment produced none of the harmful side-effects of conventional chemo and radiation cancer therapies.

A particular form of boron will split when it captures a neutron and release lithium, helium and energy

the helium and lithium atoms penetrate the cancer cell and destroy it from the inside without harming the surrounding tissues.