BROAD STRATEGIC APPRAISALS

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Trident laser accelerates protons to record energies

An international team of physicists at Los Alamos National Laboratory has succeeded in using intense laser light to accelerate protons to energies never before achieved. Using this technique, scientists can now accelerate particles to extremely high velocities that would otherwise only be possible using large accelerator facilities.

New System-on-a-Chip Boosts the Appeal of E-Ink

Marvell’s Armada 166e builds an E-Ink graphics controller right into the processor, allowing for e-readers that cost less — with displays that refresh more quickly.

Power-beamers rise again

Like the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge, the Power Beaming Challenge is part of the NASA-backed Centennial Challenges, a program aimed at encouraging new technologies that could be adopted by the space agency for future exploration.

US Navy LockMart Contract For Design Of New Surface Ship Electronic Warfare System

The U.S. Navy recently selected Lockheed Martin to provide its next-generation of electronic warfare (EW) systems for surface ships, which will significantly improve the Navy's ability to detect threats to the fleet.

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Pentagon Touts New, Lighter Vehicle for Afghanistan

The Pentagon on Monday showed off a new, lighter armored vehicle built for the rugged roads of Afghanistan, saying it was rushing to ship the "life-savers" to U.S. troops.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Breakthrough in industrial-scale nanotube processing

Rice University scientists today unveiled a method for the industrial-scale processing of pure carbon-nanotube fibers that could lead to revolutionary advances in materials science, power distribution and nanoelectronics. The result of a nine-year program, the method builds upon tried-and-true processes that chemical firms have used for decades to produce plastics. The research is available online in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

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High-performance plasmas may make reliable, efficient fusion power a reality

In the quest to produce nuclear fusion energy, researchers from the DIII-D National Fusion Facility have recently confirmed long-standing theoretical predictions that performance, efficiency and reliability are simultaneously obtained in tokamaks, the leading magnetic confinement fusion device, operating at their performance limits. Experiments designed to test these predictions have successfully demonstrated the interaction of these conditions.

Firing up those femtocells

The folks over at the Femto Forum, in conjunction with the European telecommunications standards institute, recently announced a "plugfest" for March 2010. The plugfest will serve as a forum to for interoperability tests among femtocell network gateways, security gateways, femtocell access points and chipsets.

Femtocells are tiny base stations designed for use in residences and branch offices, capable of supporting roughly two to to five phones/mobile devices.

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DoD and Taser's New Grenade Launcher Round Delivers Incapacitating Shock From 200 Feet

The new Human Electro-Muscular Incapacitation (HEMI) projectile is being developed for the Pentagon by Taser International under a $2.5 million contract and should be ready for prototype testing some time after the new year.

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Star power comes to Earth

Though not yet running at full capacity, the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore, CA) is now operational. It has taken 15 years and $3.5 billion to build the huge 192-beam laser system, which is now on a gradual ramp toward its full design output of 1.8 MJ of ultraviolet pulse energy.

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Raytheon Tests JSOW-ER As Anti-Ship Weapon

Raytheon has conducted the first free-flight test of a powered, extended-range version of its Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW-ER) as the U.S. Navy prepares to begin an analysis of alternatives (AOA) for anti-ship missiles to replace the Harpoon.

Satellite Is New Missile Attack Warning System

A new satellite that is set to provide early warning of missile attacks has entered a more advanced test stage.
The Space Based Infrared System (SBIS) geo-synchronous spacecraft, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, will provide an early warning system against missiles being launched. The satellite is due for launch in 2012.

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Army Develops ‘Ghost’ Imaging to Aid on Battlefield

Physicists at the Army Research Laboratory are bringing quantum “ghost” imaging from the realm of scientific curiosity to practical reality.

Ghost imaging is a technique that allows a high-resolution camera to produce an image of an object that the camera itself cannot see.

Decoding of pig DNA could lead to new vaccine

An international group of scientists has decoded the DNA of the domestic pig, research that may one day prove useful in finding new treatments for both pigs and people, and perhaps aid in efforts for a new swine flu vaccine for pigs.

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LockMart Flight Tests For Paveway II Plus Laser Guided Bombs

Lockheed Martin has successfully completed the first in a series of flight tests of the paveway II Plus Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) guidance kit. The paveway II Plus LGB uses an enhanced laser guidance package, significantly improving precision when compared to existing paveway II LGBs.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Slim, warm superconductors promise faster electronics

The thinnest superconductor yet is a layer of copper oxide material less than a nanometre thick. The feat suggests a new possible route to faster electronic components.

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MIT's Affective Intelligent Driving Agent

A dashboard-mounted AI system that collects environmental data, such as local events, traffic and gas stations, and combines it with a careful analysis of your driving habits and style to make helpful suggestions and note points of interest.

How Terahertz Waves Tear Apart DNA

Great things are expected of terahertz waves, the radiation that fills the slot in the electromagnetic spectrum between microwaves and the infrared. Terahertz waves pass through non-conducting materials such as clothes , paper, wood and brick and so cameras sensitive to them can peer inside envelopes, into living rooms and "frisk" people at distance.

'Blue energy' seems feasible and offers considerable benefits

Generating energy on a large scale by mixing salt and fresh water is both technically possible and practical. The worldwide potential for this clean form of energy - 'blue energy' or 'blue electricity' - is enormous. However, it will be necessary to work actively on several essential technological developments and to invest heavily in large-scale trials.

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2 parachutes malfunctioned in NASA test flight

Two of three parachutes malfunctioned in the test flight of a prototype moon rocket earlier this week, causing major damage to the booster, NASA said Friday.

A Mars Rover Named 'Curiosity'

Dust cloaks some fascinating tales in other places, too. NASA scientists will soon brush the dust off some Martian rocks that are practically bursting their seams to give their lively account of the red planet's past. The Mars Science Lab -- aptly named "Curiosity" -- is heading up there in 2011 to read the diary of Mars.

US boots up new unified cybersecurity center

The National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) brings together various government organizations responsible for protecting cyber networks and infrastructure and private sector partners.

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Superhydrophobic surfaces reduce drag

Microscopic features on a wall can have an enormous influence on macroscopic flows along it.

Researchers led by Jonathan Rothstein tailored the microscale structure of a hydrophobic material—polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), akin to the rubbery polymer used to caulk bathtubs—to create air pockets that allow the flow to “slip” (shear free) at the liquid–air interface. The greater the area covered by air pockets, the greater the overall reduction in shear stress.

LM Starts Integrated Testing Of 2nd Missile Warning Satellite

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] announced today that the second Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous orbit (GEO-2) spacecraft is progressing through a series of key tests that will demonstrate the integrated satellite's readiness to enter the critical environmental test phase in preparation for launch.

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Lighter sentence for murderer with 'bad genes'

An Italian court has cut the sentence given to a convicted murderer by a year because he has genes linked to violent behaviour — the first time that behavioural genetics has affected a sentence passed by a European court. But researchers contacted by Nature have questioned whether the decision was based on sound science.

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Windows 7 app turns laptop into Wi-Fi access point

A developer has found an unfinished feature of Windows 7 that turns any laptop into a wireless access point, allowing other devices to share the connection without special software.

Chip Design Thwarts Sneak Attack on Data

Cache architecture harnesses the power of randomization.

The new technology, called Newcache, developed at Princeton University by electrical engineering professor Ruby Lee and her graduate student, Zhenghong Wang, foils these so-called cache side-channel attacks by randomizing where data is stored in the cache.

Airbag RPG Countermeasure

Textron Defense Systems' Tactical Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) Airbag Protection System, (TRAPS), has recently completed the first phase of testing at the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC) in Socorro, New Mexico.

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U.S. Navy Facing Submarine Challenges

Donald highlighted several issues of concern, including recruiting, training and retention of “highly competent operators.” The training piece is particularly tough, he added, noting aging facilities and a backlog of students, which has resulted in a diminished flow of qualified operators to the fleet.

U.S. Seeks to Counter Enemy’s ‘Weapon of Choice’

The Defense Department expects U.S. forces in Afghanistan to continue to be targeted by improvised explosive devices -- which have claimed more lives there than any other weapon -- while it seeks ways to counter the threat, officials said.

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