Physics and Astronomy News Archive: March 2005

Image: Shuttle Will Fly Again Soon

Shuttle Will Fly Again Soon

Source: ESA   Posted: 3/31/05

Launch pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida will soon see the Shuttle blasting off again for a new exciting mission in space.
Image: Noisy Pictures Tell a Story of 'Entangled' Atoms

Noisy Pictures Tell a Story of 'Entangled' Atoms

Source: NIST   Posted: 3/30/05

Patterns of noise—normally considered flaws—in images of an ultracold cloud of potassium provide the first-ever visual evidence of correlated ultracold atoms, a potentially useful tool for many applications, according to physicists at JILA.
Image: Snake-like robot conquers obstacles

Snake-like robot conquers obstacles

Source: UMich   Posted: 3/25/05

A virtually unstoppable 'snakebot' developed by a University of Michigan team resembles a high-tech slinky as it climbs pipes and stairs, rolls over rough terrain and  spans wide gaps to reach the other side.
Image: Building a Better Nanoworld with Microbes

Building a Better Nanoworld with Microbes

Source: UWisc   Posted: 3/25/05

Taking a new approach to the painstaking assembly of nanometer-sized machines, a team of scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has successfully used single bacterial cells to make tiny bio-electronic circuits.
Image: Physicist gets the 2005 Templeton Prize

Physicist gets the 2005 Templeton Prize

Source: UCBerkeley   Posted: 3/16/05

Charles Townes, 89, a physicist, the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physics winner and the inventor of the maser was awarded the 2005 Templeton Prize.
Image: Eight Receive President's 2003 National Medal of Science

Eight Receive President's 2003 National Medal of Science

Source: NSF   Posted: 3/16/05

President Bush presented medals today to eight scientists and engineers, including two Nobel laureates, for their distinguished careers and lifelong and individual achievements.
Image: Moonbeams Shine on Einstein, Galileo and Newton

Moonbeams Shine on Einstein, Galileo and Newton

Source: NASA/JPL   Posted: 3/10/05

Thirty-five years after Moon-walking astronauts placed special reflectors on the lunar surface, scientists have used these devices to test Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity to unprecedented accuracy.
Image: Temperature inside collapsing bubble four times that of sun

Temperature inside collapsing bubble four times that of sun

Source: UIUC   Posted: 3/9/05

Using a technique employed by astronomers to determine stellar surface temperatures, chemists at the UIUC have measured the temperature inside a single, acoustically driven collapsing bubble.
Image: The Neutrino Underground

The Neutrino Underground

Source: NSF   Posted: 3/8/05

Fermilab's NuMI/MINOS experiment will fire trillions of the ghostly particles through the Earth in an effort to learn their secrets.
Image: Quantum Computers May Be Easier to Build Than Predicted

Quantum Computers May Be Easier to Build Than Predicted

Source: NIST   Posted: 3/3/05

A full-scale quantum computer could produce reliable results even if its components performed no better than today’s best first-generation prototypes, according to a paper in the March 3 issue in the journal Nature by a NIST scientist.
Image: Saturn's A Ring has oxygen, but not life

Saturn's A Ring has oxygen, but not life

Source: UMich   Posted: 3/1/05

Data from the Cassini-Huygens satellite showing oxygen ions in the atmosphere around Saturn's rings suggests once again that molecular oxygen alone isn't a reliable indicator of whether a planet can support life.