(PhysOrg.com) -- Many trees disperse their seeds by releasing "helicopters," those single-winged seeds that are also called "samaras." As these seeds fall to the ground, their wing causes them to swirl and spin in a process ...
(PhysOrg.com) -- A group of Cornell-developed, fingernail-sized satellites may travel to Saturn within the next decade, and as they flutter down through its atmosphere, they will collect data about chemistry, radiation and ...
Space Exploration
Apr 28, 2011
5
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- An animal group such as a school of fish or a flock of starlings can seem like a single entity governed by a collective mind. A new mathematical analysis of flight dynamics in flocks of starlings suggest ...
A new study shows how small seabirds have mastered the art of working smarter, not harder, when soaring at sea.
Plants & Animals
Jun 1, 2022
0
64
Hypersonic flight is conventionally referred to as the ability to fly at speeds significantly faster than the speed of sound and presents an extraordinary set of technical challenges. As an example, when a space capsule re-enters ...
General Physics
Dec 3, 2020
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127
A team of researchers from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, the University of Twente and Università di Pisa has used equations from fluid dynamics to find the optimum arrangement of rods in a dandelion pappus. ...
Gyroscopes measure rotation in everyday technologies, from unmanned aerial vehicles to cell phone screen stabilizers.
Engineering
Mar 18, 2015
1
39
Every full moon, Landsat 8 turns its back on Earth. As the satellite's orbit takes it to the nighttime side of the planet, Landsat 8 pivots to point at the moon. It scans the distant lunar surface multiple times, then flips ...
Space Exploration
Jul 12, 2014
0
2
(Phys.org) —The word "kite" at the Delft University of Technology hardly means summertime fun and recreation. Rather, scientists see "kite" as an important airborne wind technology, with advantages lacking in wind turbines. ...
(Phys.org) —Many spacecraft just fade away, drifting silently through space after their mission is over, but not GRAIL. NASA's twin GRAIL (Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory) spacecraft went out in a blaze of glory ...
Space Exploration
Mar 19, 2013
1
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