Story Science & Exploration Dreaming of a white Christmas – on Mars 18/12/2024 15 views 0 likes Read

Science and Health

Science & Exploration

18/12/2024
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Step into the holidays with this picturesque ‘winter wonderland’ scene at the south pole of Mars, captured by ESA’s Mars Express.

One can almost imagine the soft crunch of crisp snow underfoot, and a landscape bathed in a calming yellowy-orange hue as the Sun shines through ice- and dust-laden clouds.

Australe Scopuli in context

These images, taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera on Mars Express, show an enigmatic landscape in the Australe Scopuli region of the planet’s southern hemisphere, not far from the ‘cryptic terrain’ we explored in October.Here, swirls of carbon dioxide ice and dust layers wrap around the scene, turning the Red Planet white. The contrasting light and dark layers are particularly striking in the exposed faces of hills and valleys. They trace out the distinctive seasonal polar layered deposits characteristic of this region, formed as layers of ice freeze with varying amounts of dust trapped within.

Donning a pair of 3D glasses reveals a view reminiscent of terrestrial ski resorts with a mixture of smooth, steep slopes and tight bends. Or perhaps you’d prefer a sleigh ride, but either way dress warm, because it’s cold outside: -125°C.

Any martian skier or sleigh rider would also need to slalom around hundreds of potential dust jets. That’s because ski season is almost over and it’s beginning to look a lot like spring – or even summer, for this image was taken on 16 June 2022, close to summer solstice at the south pole. Zooming into the main image reveals numerous dark patches where the ice has already sublimated away (turned directly from solid ice into vapour), a sure sign that the Sun’s warming rays have been falling on this region for some time.

Icy hills in Australe Scopuli

When sunlight shines through the translucent top layers of the carbon dioxide ice it warms up the underlying surface. The ice at the bottom of the layer begins to sublimate, creating pockets of trapped gas. The pressure builds up until the overlying ice suddenly cracks, resulting in a burst of gas jetting through the surface. These gas fountains carry dark dust from below, which falls back to the surface in a fan-shaped pattern moulded by the direction of the prevailing wind. The fans can range in length from tens to hundreds of metres.The process is similar to that which creates the ‘spider’ features presented in another recent Mars Express image release.

Icy valley in Australe Scupoli

An even closer look, in particular in the perspective views, shows that the fans often appear to follow the boundaries between the polar layered deposits. Presumably these boundaries represent zones of weakness, where the escaping dust-laden jets can break through the ice layers more easily. We may well have missed our chance to make one last ‘Frosty the Snowman’, but it’s still a wonderful time of year on Mars!

The Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) was developed and is operated by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR). The systematic processing of the camera data took place at the DLR Institute for Planetary Research in Berlin-Adlershof. The working group of Planetary Science and Remote Sensing at Freie Universität Berlin used the data to create the image products shown here.

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Story Science & Exploration Dreaming of a white Christmas – on Mars 18/12/2024 15 views 0 likes Read

Science and Health

Science & Exploration

18/12/2024
13 views
0 likes

Step into the holidays with this picturesque ‘winter wonderland’ scene at the south pole of Mars, captured by ESA’s Mars Express.

One can almost imagine the soft crunch of crisp snow underfoot, and a landscape bathed in a calming yellowy-orange hue as the Sun shines through ice- and dust-laden clouds.

Australe Scopuli in context

These images, taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera on Mars Express, show an enigmatic landscape in the Australe Scopuli region of the planet’s southern hemisphere, not far from the ‘cryptic terrain’ we explored in October.Here, swirls of carbon dioxide ice and dust layers wrap around the scene, turning the Red Planet white. The contrasting light and dark layers are particularly striking in the exposed faces of hills and valleys. They trace out the distinctive seasonal polar layered deposits characteristic of this region, formed as layers of ice freeze with varying amounts of dust trapped within.

Donning a pair of 3D glasses reveals a view reminiscent of terrestrial ski resorts with a mixture of smooth, steep slopes and tight bends. Or perhaps you’d prefer a sleigh ride, but either way dress warm, because it’s cold outside: -125°C.

Any martian skier or sleigh rider would also need to slalom around hundreds of potential dust jets. That’s because ski season is almost over and it’s beginning to look a lot like spring – or even summer, for this image was taken on 16 June 2022, close to summer solstice at the south pole. Zooming into the main image reveals numerous dark patches where the ice has already sublimated away (turned directly from solid ice into vapour), a sure sign that the Sun’s warming rays have been falling on this region for some time.

Icy hills in Australe Scopuli

When sunlight shines through the translucent top layers of the carbon dioxide ice it warms up the underlying surface. The ice at the bottom of the layer begins to sublimate, creating pockets of trapped gas. The pressure builds up until the overlying ice suddenly cracks, resulting in a burst of gas jetting through the surface. These gas fountains carry dark dust from below, which falls back to the surface in a fan-shaped pattern moulded by the direction of the prevailing wind. The fans can range in length from tens to hundreds of metres.The process is similar to that which creates the ‘spider’ features presented in another recent Mars Express image release.

Icy valley in Australe Scupoli

An even closer look, in particular in the perspective views, shows that the fans often appear to follow the boundaries between the polar layered deposits. Presumably these boundaries represent zones of weakness, where the escaping dust-laden jets can break through the ice layers more easily. We may well have missed our chance to make one last ‘Frosty the Snowman’, but it’s still a wonderful time of year on Mars!

The Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) was developed and is operated by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR). The systematic processing of the camera data took place at the DLR Institute for Planetary Research in Berlin-Adlershof. The working group of Planetary Science and Remote Sensing at Freie Universität Berlin used the data to create the image products shown here.

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You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!

7 tourists hospitalized after drinking alcohol at luxury Fiji resort were not poisoned, officials say. Here’s what we know.

Travel

Seven tourists who were hospitalized in Fiji last weekend after drinking cocktails at a luxury hotel were not poisoned by tainted alcohol, officials there say.Fiji’s tourism minister, Viliame Gavoka, told reporters Wednesday that the results of a toxicology report showed “no evidence of alcohol poisoning.”“I can confirm that no illicit substances or methanol were found in the ingredients or liquor samples,” Gavoka said, according to the Associated Press, adding that it was “great news for Fiji, especially for our vital tourism industry.”What happened?Seven tourists became ill after drinking cocktails at the resort, officials say. (Leon Lord AFP via Getty Images)The guests — including one American, four Australians and two unidentified foreign nationals — became ill after drinking piña coladas at a bar at the five-star Warwick Fiji, near the town of Sigatoka on the coast of Viti Levu, Fiji’s largest island.ADVERTISEMENTThey were hospitalized on Saturday with nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms.All seven have since fully recovered, Gavoka said. The cause of their illness remains under investigation.Comparisons to LaosFiji is a popular tourist destination for Australians. (Leon Lord AFP via Getty Images)The case drew immediate comparisons to an incident in November in Laos in which six tourists — including one American and two Australian teenagers — died after drinking tainted alcohol at a hostel in a Laotian town popular with backpackers in Southeast Asia.The victims in Laos were believed to have consumed drinks tainted with methanol, which is sometimes added to mixed drinks as a cheaper alternative to ethanol but can cause severe poisoning or death.Australia updates travel advisoryFiji, a South Pacific archipelago nation, is a popular tourist destination for Australians.And news of the sickened tourists prompted Australia to update its travel advisory for Fiji, warning travelers to be “alert to the potential risks around drink spiking and methanol poisoning through consuming alcoholic drinks.”“Don’t leave your drinks unattended. Pay attention when your drinks are being mixed,” Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers said at a press conference on Monday. “And get urgent medical help if you suspect that something is wrong.”

7 tourists hospitalized after drinking alcohol at luxury Fiji resort were not poisoned, officials say. Here’s what we know.

Travel

Seven tourists who were hospitalized in Fiji last weekend after drinking cocktails at a luxury hotel were not poisoned by tainted alcohol, officials there say.Fiji’s tourism minister, Viliame Gavoka, told reporters Wednesday that the results of a toxicology report showed “no evidence of alcohol poisoning.”“I can confirm that no illicit substances or methanol were found in the ingredients or liquor samples,” Gavoka said, according to the Associated Press, adding that it was “great news for Fiji, especially for our vital tourism industry.”What happened?Seven tourists became ill after drinking cocktails at the resort, officials say. (Leon Lord AFP via Getty Images)The guests — including one American, four Australians and two unidentified foreign nationals — became ill after drinking piña coladas at a bar at the five-star Warwick Fiji, near the town of Sigatoka on the coast of Viti Levu, Fiji’s largest island.ADVERTISEMENTThey were hospitalized on Saturday with nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms.All seven have since fully recovered, Gavoka said. The cause of their illness remains under investigation.Comparisons to LaosFiji is a popular tourist destination for Australians. (Leon Lord AFP via Getty Images)The case drew immediate comparisons to an incident in November in Laos in which six tourists — including one American and two Australian teenagers — died after drinking tainted alcohol at a hostel in a Laotian town popular with backpackers in Southeast Asia.The victims in Laos were believed to have consumed drinks tainted with methanol, which is sometimes added to mixed drinks as a cheaper alternative to ethanol but can cause severe poisoning or death.Australia updates travel advisoryFiji, a South Pacific archipelago nation, is a popular tourist destination for Australians.And news of the sickened tourists prompted Australia to update its travel advisory for Fiji, warning travelers to be “alert to the potential risks around drink spiking and methanol poisoning through consuming alcoholic drinks.”“Don’t leave your drinks unattended. Pay attention when your drinks are being mixed,” Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers said at a press conference on Monday. “And get urgent medical help if you suspect that something is wrong.”

7 tourists hospitalized after drinking alcohol at luxury Fiji resort were not poisoned, officials say. Here’s what we know.

Travel

Seven tourists who were hospitalized in Fiji last weekend after drinking cocktails at a luxury hotel were not poisoned by tainted alcohol, officials there say.Fiji’s tourism minister, Viliame Gavoka, told reporters Wednesday that the results of a toxicology report showed “no evidence of alcohol poisoning.”“I can confirm that no illicit substances or methanol were found in the ingredients or liquor samples,” Gavoka said, according to the Associated Press, adding that it was “great news for Fiji, especially for our vital tourism industry.”What happened?Seven tourists became ill after drinking cocktails at the resort, officials say. (Leon Lord AFP via Getty Images)The guests — including one American, four Australians and two unidentified foreign nationals — became ill after drinking piña coladas at a bar at the five-star Warwick Fiji, near the town of Sigatoka on the coast of Viti Levu, Fiji’s largest island.ADVERTISEMENTThey were hospitalized on Saturday with nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms.All seven have since fully recovered, Gavoka said. The cause of their illness remains under investigation.Comparisons to LaosFiji is a popular tourist destination for Australians. (Leon Lord AFP via Getty Images)The case drew immediate comparisons to an incident in November in Laos in which six tourists — including one American and two Australian teenagers — died after drinking tainted alcohol at a hostel in a Laotian town popular with backpackers in Southeast Asia.The victims in Laos were believed to have consumed drinks tainted with methanol, which is sometimes added to mixed drinks as a cheaper alternative to ethanol but can cause severe poisoning or death.Australia updates travel advisoryFiji, a South Pacific archipelago nation, is a popular tourist destination for Australians.And news of the sickened tourists prompted Australia to update its travel advisory for Fiji, warning travelers to be “alert to the potential risks around drink spiking and methanol poisoning through consuming alcoholic drinks.”“Don’t leave your drinks unattended. Pay attention when your drinks are being mixed,” Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers said at a press conference on Monday. “And get urgent medical help if you suspect that something is wrong.”

7 tourists hospitalized after drinking alcohol at luxury Fiji resort were not poisoned, officials say. Here’s what we know.

Travel

Seven tourists who were hospitalized in Fiji last weekend after drinking cocktails at a luxury hotel were not poisoned by tainted alcohol, officials there say.Fiji’s tourism minister, Viliame Gavoka, told reporters Wednesday that the results of a toxicology report showed “no evidence of alcohol poisoning.”“I can confirm that no illicit substances or methanol were found in the ingredients or liquor samples,” Gavoka said, according to the Associated Press, adding that it was “great news for Fiji, especially for our vital tourism industry.”What happened?Seven tourists became ill after drinking cocktails at the resort, officials say. (Leon Lord AFP via Getty Images)The guests — including one American, four Australians and two unidentified foreign nationals — became ill after drinking piña coladas at a bar at the five-star Warwick Fiji, near the town of Sigatoka on the coast of Viti Levu, Fiji’s largest island.ADVERTISEMENTThey were hospitalized on Saturday with nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms.All seven have since fully recovered, Gavoka said. The cause of their illness remains under investigation.Comparisons to LaosFiji is a popular tourist destination for Australians. (Leon Lord AFP via Getty Images)The case drew immediate comparisons to an incident in November in Laos in which six tourists — including one American and two Australian teenagers — died after drinking tainted alcohol at a hostel in a Laotian town popular with backpackers in Southeast Asia.The victims in Laos were believed to have consumed drinks tainted with methanol, which is sometimes added to mixed drinks as a cheaper alternative to ethanol but can cause severe poisoning or death.Australia updates travel advisoryFiji, a South Pacific archipelago nation, is a popular tourist destination for Australians.And news of the sickened tourists prompted Australia to update its travel advisory for Fiji, warning travelers to be “alert to the potential risks around drink spiking and methanol poisoning through consuming alcoholic drinks.”“Don’t leave your drinks unattended. Pay attention when your drinks are being mixed,” Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers said at a press conference on Monday. “And get urgent medical help if you suspect that something is wrong.”

SSTU scientists have developed a high-strength stamp for aircraft engines

Science and Health

Ministry of Education and Science of Russia 18 December 2024 17:43

Scientists of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Transport of Saratov State Technical University named after Gagarina Yu.A. created an innovative die tool of increased strength and durability for the manufacture of titanium blades of aircraft engines. Polytechnic technology offers a highly effective solution for hardening tools, which can significantly increase their service life and reduce the frequency of replacements and repairs.

“The disadvantage of many stamp designs for the aviation industry is the insufficiently high mechanical strength of the surface of the engravings of the upper and lower inserts, leading to their deformation and destruction during isothermal stamping of aircraft blades. Therefore, today engineers and scientists pay great attention to the creation of high-tech and more advanced stamp designs. We were able to create a stamp with improved quality and reliability characteristics in operation, which can significantly extend the service life of stamp equipment in production,” said Professor Igor Rodionov, one of the authors of the development, head of the Department of Welding and Metallurgy at IMT SSTU.

The increased strength of the die inserts was achieved by laser surfacing on the surface of their engravings of a high-strength nanostructured coating consisting of a two-component mixture of titanium carbide and boron carbide powders.

The proposed technology consists of several stages. First, a base for the formation of a deposited coating is applied to the surface of the prototypes — a special powder additive consisting of finely dispersed powders of titanium carbide and boron carbide mixed with a binder. The surface is then scanned with a laser. As a result of exposure to concentrated light flux, thermal stimulation occurs, which causes the melting of the powder additive and its integration with the base material.

With the help of multiple laser scanning and additional application of powder mixture layers, it is possible to achieve the specified thickness parameters and mechanical properties of the coating. This allows for maximum protection of the working surface of the die and improves its performance.

The uniqueness of the development is confirmed by the patent of the Russian Federation for a utility model.
Please note that this press release is based on materials provided by the company. AK&M Information Agency shall not be held liable for its contents, nor for the legal and other consequences of its publication.

SSTU scientists have developed a high-strength stamp for aircraft engines

Science and Health

Ministry of Education and Science of Russia 18 December 2024 17:43

Scientists of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Transport of Saratov State Technical University named after Gagarina Yu.A. created an innovative die tool of increased strength and durability for the manufacture of titanium blades of aircraft engines. Polytechnic technology offers a highly effective solution for hardening tools, which can significantly increase their service life and reduce the frequency of replacements and repairs.

“The disadvantage of many stamp designs for the aviation industry is the insufficiently high mechanical strength of the surface of the engravings of the upper and lower inserts, leading to their deformation and destruction during isothermal stamping of aircraft blades. Therefore, today engineers and scientists pay great attention to the creation of high-tech and more advanced stamp designs. We were able to create a stamp with improved quality and reliability characteristics in operation, which can significantly extend the service life of stamp equipment in production,” said Professor Igor Rodionov, one of the authors of the development, head of the Department of Welding and Metallurgy at IMT SSTU.

The increased strength of the die inserts was achieved by laser surfacing on the surface of their engravings of a high-strength nanostructured coating consisting of a two-component mixture of titanium carbide and boron carbide powders.

The proposed technology consists of several stages. First, a base for the formation of a deposited coating is applied to the surface of the prototypes — a special powder additive consisting of finely dispersed powders of titanium carbide and boron carbide mixed with a binder. The surface is then scanned with a laser. As a result of exposure to concentrated light flux, thermal stimulation occurs, which causes the melting of the powder additive and its integration with the base material.

With the help of multiple laser scanning and additional application of powder mixture layers, it is possible to achieve the specified thickness parameters and mechanical properties of the coating. This allows for maximum protection of the working surface of the die and improves its performance.

The uniqueness of the development is confirmed by the patent of the Russian Federation for a utility model.
Please note that this press release is based on materials provided by the company. AK&M Information Agency shall not be held liable for its contents, nor for the legal and other consequences of its publication.

Netflix Reveals Its Biggest Film Opening Of 2024, Which Just Released

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

With just two weeks to go until the new year, Netflix has found its biggest original movie hit of all of 2024. That would be the new film, Carry-On, a thriller starring Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman.

Netflix just revealed that the movie has racked up 42 million views, obviously the most-watched film of the week, but also its biggest film opening of the entire year with those numbers.

The thriller stars Egerton as a TSA agent blackmailed by Bateman’s mysterious “Traveler” into letting a dangerous package through airport security, and Egerton must figure out how to stop the plot while also keeping his girlfriend alive.

The film has reviewed well with critics, with an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. It has a much worse 58% audience score, but having seen the film, I truly do not understand that at all. It’s really good, a claustrophobic, original thriller, the kind of which we rarely see these days, and certainly not ones this solid. Egerton and Bateman are both fantastic in this, and who knew Michael Bluth could be this level of menacing? Great work all around, and all this from the director of…Black Adam? Well, he did a great job here.
Carry-OnNetflix

So, if the film is this level of successful, are we going to see a Carry-On 2? Spoilers follow for the film, so turn back now if you haven’t watched it. And you should definitely watch it.

This certainly did not seem like a movie designed to have a sequel. It is not based on some sort of book series so there’s no more source material to come. The film ends with Egerton’s Ethan saving the day and preventing the nerve gas attack. There’s then a time skip that shows him with his new baby and the reveal that he’s now a police officer. Meanwhile, Bateman’s Traveler gets melted by his own nerve gas, so he’s sure not coming back. There are other members of his team that survived, however, like the goth girl who gave Ethan the earpiece we see again near the end.

Given that Ethan is a cop now, obviously he could go on to stop more crimes in another movie, but “Carry-On 2” would no doubt not be about…another bomb in another carry-on, right? I mean, that’s kind of a one and done. But you can’t call it anything else. Despite it being a big hit, ultimately, I would be a little surprised if they did a sequel regardless.
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