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Averting Armageddon: the mission that knocked an asteroid off course

Members'-only content Stephen Cousins — Thu 28 Sep 2023 — updated 19 Oct 2023

The potentially catastrophic consequences of a major asteroid impact have accelerated international efforts to defend the planet

E+T Sept 2023
This article appeared in Issue number 8, Volume 18, Issue 8 - September 2023 of E+T Magazine.
Click here to view this issue

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The sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is seen shortly after touching down in the desert - Credit: NASA/Keegan Barb

Nasa capsule brings back the largest asteroid sample ever collected

Mon 25 Sep 2023
The capsule carried around 250g of rocks and dust collected from the asteroid Bennu as part of Nasa’s Osiris-Rex mission.
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Major methane leak detected from space

Thu 21 Sep 2023
Using data from GHGSat satellites, researchers were able to alert authorities to methane leaking from a faulty pipe in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
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Nasa's Perseverance rover on Mars - Credit: Nasa

Nasa’s Perseverance produces breathable oxygen on Mars

Mon 11 Sep 2023
Nasa’s Perseverance rover has been able to generate 4.3 ounces (122g) of breathable oxygen – enough to sustain a human for three hours on the Red Planet.
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Undated handout photo issued by Rolls-Royce of a Space Flower Moon Micro Reactor (Image credit: Rolls Royce)

Small fuel cells could power nuclear reactors on the Moon

Tue 5 Sep 2023

Bangor University researchers have developed small nuclear fuel cells that could sustain life on the Moon for long periods of time.
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Rendering of Aditya-L1 mission (Image credit: Shutterstock)

India successfully launches its first mission to the Sun

Mon 4 Sep 2023

India has completed the launch of Aditya-L1, a mission to study the Sun’s outermost layers and gain further insight into the causes of solar winds.
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How mechanics found in nature could make quantum computing a reality

Fri 29 Sep 2023
Do you need to know the precise answer to get where you’re going, or can ‘close enough be good enough’ for a new class of computing hardware? The quantum computing environment continues to evolve.
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Illustration of satellites being launched with a trebuchet - Credit: John Devolle

Dear Evil Engineer: Could I hurl satellites into orbit with a trebuchet?

Fri 29 Sep 2023
This month, the Evil Engineer examines whether a machine that was outdated by 1500 could be repurposed for a very modern industry.
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Influence Local Disasters Burning Rainforest - Credit: Getty

Extreme weather: the technologies used to combat climate change

Mon 2 Oct 2023
Extremes of weather and unseasonal meteorological patterns have been experienced around the globe in 2023, but each phenomenon has localised effects.
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More from Volume 18, Issue 8 - September 2023

Inspire Pet Tech ET Sept Oct 2023 - Credit: Shutterstock

Pet tech boom: biometrics and AI gain favour among cat and dog owners

Mon 9 Oct 2023
From biometric ID to predictive diagnostics, AI is helping pet owners and veterinarians improve the quality of life of our burgeoning population of dogs and cats.
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Home security Ring device - Credit: ring.com

The drones and cameras that could keep homes secure

Thu 5 Oct 2023
Domestic surveillance gadgets are here to stay, and likely to become even more sophisticated.
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Diverse group of people smiling at the camera - Credit: Dreamstime.com - Rawpixelimages - Foto 66695145

Budge up: making space for the next generation

Wed 4 Oct 2023
STEM is often seen as an exclusive club – meaning future world-changers may be deterred from studying it. LRF director of skills and education Tim Slingsby discusses making space.
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Young professionals working - Credit: Shutterstock

Comment: Supporting Gen Z with talent training

Tue 3 Oct 2023
The traditional degree route is no longer enough. Gen Z is going to need other forms of training if they are to plug our skills shortage
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More from Satellites

satellite orbitting planet earth on fire - Credit: Shutterstock

A singular nuclear explosion in space would threaten a ‘significant proportion of satellites’

Tue 7 May 2024
The explosion of just one nuclear weapon in space could destroy or permanently damage “a significant proportion of satellites” that are in orbit around the Earth, the UK’s ambassador to the UN has said.
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Expanding aerospace and defence connectivity by moving from a terrestrial to hybrid space. - Credit: Shutterstock

The challenges threatening successful deployment of 5G non-terrestrial networks

Tue 23 Apr 2024
Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) are able to significantly extend coverage by moving from a terrestrial infrastructure to hybrid space. However, Keysight Technologies highlights the challenges that can threaten the successful deployment of these networks.
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3D Render of space debris around planet Earth - Credit: Shutterstock - 2075749981

Ray Fielding - head of space sustainability at the UK Space Agency

Wed 3 Apr 2024
Ray Fielding, head of space sustainability at the UK Space Agency, says that millions of items of human-made debris orbiting Earth could – if left unchecked – create an environmental problem with far-reaching consequences.
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A model of the methane tracking satellite MethaneSAT in space - Credit: MethaneSAT

New satellite will use data combined with AI to map methane leaks worldwide

Tue 5 Mar 2024
The MethaneSAT satellite, developed by the Environmental Defense Fund in partnership with Google, has launched onboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the aim of putting the biggest methane-emitting culprits on the map.
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More from Space

ESA and NASA team up to land the ExoMars rover on Mars - Credit: ESA Mlabspace

ESA and Nasa team up to land rover on Mars

Fri 17 May 2024
The European Space Agency and Nasa have announced a partnership for the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission to enable the Rosalind Franklin rover to get to Mars by 2030.
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In 2014 construction of the Extremely Large Telescope got underway at Cerro Armazones in Chile’s Atacama Desert. - Credit: Shutterstock

UK ATC to start building scientific instruments for the world’s ‘biggest eye on the sky’

Thu 16 May 2024
The Extremely Large Telescope, currently under construction in the Chilean desert, will feature a range of scientific instruments, the first of which has now entered manufacture.
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£1.8m funding announced to help boost tech innovation in space - Credit: iStock

Space tech innovation boosted by £1.8m funding

Wed 8 May 2024
New funding from the UK Space Agency is backing nine projects with promising technologies to support space capabilities.
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A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing's CST-100 Starliner aboard on the launch pad headed of the NASA's Boeing crew flight test. - Credit: NASA

Boeing’s Starliner crewed space launch postponed for safety check

Tue 7 May 2024
The flight of Boeing’s Starliner, which was heading for the International Space Station, was called off two hours before lift-off.
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More from Space Research

ESA and NASA team up to land the ExoMars rover on Mars - Credit: ESA Mlabspace

ESA and Nasa team up to land rover on Mars

Fri 17 May 2024
The European Space Agency and Nasa have announced a partnership for the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission to enable the Rosalind Franklin rover to get to Mars by 2030.
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In 2014 construction of the Extremely Large Telescope got underway at Cerro Armazones in Chile’s Atacama Desert. - Credit: Shutterstock

UK ATC to start building scientific instruments for the world’s ‘biggest eye on the sky’

Thu 16 May 2024
The Extremely Large Telescope, currently under construction in the Chilean desert, will feature a range of scientific instruments, the first of which has now entered manufacture.
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£1.8m funding announced to help boost tech innovation in space - Credit: iStock

Space tech innovation boosted by £1.8m funding

Wed 8 May 2024
New funding from the UK Space Agency is backing nine projects with promising technologies to support space capabilities.
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Artist impression of the ESA Smile mission - Credit: ESA

ESA’s solar wind mission is set to launch into space in late 2025

Tue 30 Apr 2024
The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced that the Smile (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) mission will launch on a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana in late 2025.
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More from Stephen Cousins

Morandi Bridge - Credit: iStock

A gift from the sky - the subatomic sentinel

Thu 23 Nov 2023
Tiny particles from space may be the secret to remotely inspecting large structures for signs of internal damage, but those systems in development must overcome several challenges
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King Of England Charles III (Image credit: MidJourney)

The rapid rise of AI art

Mon 13 Feb 2023

Has humanity unwittingly entered a radical new era of art and artistic expression? That’s the suggestion being circulated in creative communities and online forums as a new breed of powerful artificial intelligence emerges from the shadows.
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Wayray Holograktor concept car (Image credit: Wayray)

Autonomous cars: will we be driven to distraction?

Wed 9 Nov 2022

Driverless cars are being billed as luxury living spaces on wheels where motorists can sleep, game, shop, and watch films and TV, but questions remain over the limits of the technology, passenger health and wellbeing, and ongoing delays to fully...
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Seaborg’s nuclear barges may support countries with growing energy markets not able to rely solely on renewable energy (Image credit: Seaborg Technologies)

Nuclear transport: is atomic energy really a viable path to reaching net zero?

Tue 15 Feb 2022

Forthcoming regulations will pave the way for a nuclear-powered merchant fleet in the UK, but is atomic energy really a viable path to reaching net zero, and can innovative reactors overcome long-standing safety and security concerns?
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More from Features

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Riding the population curves

Wed 15 May 2024
Is population spiralling out of control, or is growth levelling off? Either way, do we have the resources to maintain the human race?
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5 Minutes....Gigafactories

Tue 7 May 2024
Decarbonisation depends on electric vehicles – and on the huge plants that churn out lithium-ion batteries.
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Project Watch - The gulf railway

Fri 3 May 2024
Around the world, many great projects are changing the built environment and our infrastructure – but sometimes progress is slow and they slip off the radar. This column follows their development
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News analysis - where are we with nuclear?

Wed 1 May 2024
Nuclear power is yet to face its day of reckoning in the UK, despite revamped enthusiasm for low-carbon energy.
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