In an article for WEMU.org, Dr. John Monnier, a professor at the University of Michigan Department of Astronomy, talks about the STARI Mission and how it should make the study of planets out of our solar system less expensive. He was interviewed in the article “U-M Department of Astronomy Prepares its First NASA Mission Continue Reading »
Tag: space
U-M Astronomy Will Lead Its First Satellite Mission With NASA Grant
The first space mission led by the University of Michigan Department of Astronomy is scheduled to launch in 2029 with the support of a NASA grant worth $10 million. The mission is called STARI—STarlight Acquisition and Reflection toward Interferometry—and will showcase the viability of a new technique for studying exoplanets, or planets outside of our solar system.
Witnessing the Birth of Planets
University of Michigan researchers contributed to an international collaboration that’s providing an unparalleled view into how planets are born using the JWST—the most powerful space telescope ever launched.
In particular, the team studied PDS 70, a young star with two growing planets in its orbit. Located 370 lightyears away, this system gives scientists a rare chance to see how planets form and evolve during their earliest stages of development.
Leinweber Lab Becomes Design Hub for Moon Garden Equipment
If you walk by the new Leinweber Innovation Lab inside the Climate & Space Research Building on a Wednesday evening, you might notice the BLiSS student team hard at work in each of the lab’s studios. There, members of their subteams are working in parallel to design tools that could help solve challenges in NASA’s future Artemis missions to the moon.
The lab’s four open studio spaces were the perfect fit for the BLiSS student team to help future moon missions.
A Vision for Safer Space Exploration with the CLEAR Center
The CLEAR Center, a Space Weather Center of Excellence at the University of Michigan, works to improve forecasting of solar energetic particles that emerge from a solar eruption, with speeds nearly reaching the speed of light, which follow the spiral shape of the solar wind’s magnetic fields into interplanetary space.
Getting the Most Out of Cosmic Maps
Research led by the University of Michigan could help put cosmology on the inside track to reaching the full potential of telescopes and other instruments studying some of the universe’s largest looming questions.
The project showcased how a new computational method gleans more information than its predecessors from maps showing how galaxies are clustered and threaded throughout the universe.
Scientists are currently using tools like DESI, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, to generate these maps and dig deeper into the nature of dark energy, dark matter and other cosmic mysteries.
Light, Flexible and Radiation-Resistant: Organic Solar Cells for Space
Radiation testing suggests that solar cells made from carbon-based, or organic, materials could outperform conventional silicon and gallium arsenide for generating electricity in the final frontier, a study from the University of Michigan suggests.
What Is ‘Kessler Syndrome’ — And Why Do Some Scientists Think the Space Disaster Scenario Has Already Started?
In an article for CNN Science, Dr. Nilton Renno, a professor at University of Michigan Climate and Space, explains Kessler’s Syndrome, a scenario in which the number of satellites and space debris in orbit is so high that collisions occur, generating more space junk and falling satellite debris. He was interviewed in the article “ Continue Reading »
“Parker Solar Probe: First Spacecraft to ‘Touch’ the Sun”
The NASA Parker Solar Probe, a mission led by Principal Investigator Dr. Justin Kasper of the University of Michigan Department of Climate and Space, is making headlines in its mission to touch the Sun. The probe was featured on Space.com in the article “Parker Solar Probe: First spacecraft to ‘touch’ the sun.” | December 11,
Data Confirms the Sun’s Magnetic Field Accelerates Solar Wind
A new study led by University of Michigan researchers published in The Astrophysical Journal confirms the sun’s magnetic field accelerates solar wind as it relaxes.