Armed with Science | Providing You Information on Military Science and Technology

Honoring An Innovator

Filed under Featured, STEM by jtozer on February 11, 2013 at 7:28 am {no comments}

Astronaut John Young leaps from the lunar surface as he salutes the U.S. flag at the Descartes landing site during the Apollo 16 extravehicular activity. Astronaut Charles Duke, Jr. took the photo. The lunar module “Orion” is on the left. The lunar roving vehicle is parked beside Orion and the object behind Young (in the shadow of the lunar module) is the Far Ultraviolet Camera/Spectrograph. (Photo: NASA)

Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Space Science Division (SSD) scientist Dr. George Carruthers has received the 2012 Medal of Technology National and Innovation. This is the nation’s highest honor for technology achievement, and it is bestowed by the president of the United States upon America’s leading innovators.

The award ceremony was held at the White House on February 1, 2013.

Dr. Carruthers grew up during the space race and was intrigued with space science.

While still a boy, he began building telescopes and model rockets and was an enthusiastic reader at the local libraries. His love for space science extended through his youth and eventually led him to pursue degrees in Aeronautical, Nuclear, and Astronomical Engineering from the University of Illinois.

Following his graduate studies, he accepted a position at NRL in 1964, after receiving a fellowship in Rocket Astronomy from the National Science Foundation. Throughout his tenure in the NRL SSD, Dr. Carruthers has focused his attention on far ultraviolet observations of the earth’s upper atmosphere and of astronomical phenomena.

In 1969 he received a patent for his pioneering instrumentation, “Image Converter for Detecting Electromagnetic Radiation Especially in Short Wave Lengths,” which detected electromagnetic radiation in short wave lengths.

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Asteroid FlyBy On Friday

Filed under Space, Videos by jtozer on February 10, 2013 at 7:35 am {no comments}

I spy with my little eye something…asteroid-y.

Okay, it’s an asteroid. And it’s HEADED RIGHT FOR US!

*ahem*

I apologize for the intentional panic-inducing ALL CAPS up there. But I mean really, how often does one get the chance to say that an asteroid is coming and have it actually be true? Because it’s coming!

Well it’s headed in our direction on Friday.

Video provided by NASA

On Feb. 15th an asteroid about half the size of a football field will fly past Earth closer than many man-made satellites. Since regular sky surveys began in the 1990s, astronomers have never seen an object so big come so close to our planet.

Get your telescopes out, folks! This one’s going to set some records.

Jessica L. Tozer is a blogger for DoDLive and Armed With Science. She is an Army veteran and an avid science fiction fan, both of which contribute to her enthusiasm for technology in the military.

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Saturday Space Sight: Water Bubble In Space!

Filed under Photos, Space by jtozer on February 9, 2013 at 7:30 am {no comments}

Hey Instagramers, take a look at this one!

NASA astronaut Kevin Ford, Expedition 34 commander, watches a water bubble float freely between him and the camera, showing his image refracted, in the Unity node of the International Space Station.

Image Credit: NASA

This sure beats a picture of pancakes with an X-Pro II filter on them if you ask me.

Jessica L. Tozer is a blogger for DoDLive and Armed With Science. She is an Army veteran and an avid science fiction fan, both of which contribute to her enthusiasm for technology in the military.

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Lab Testing Seeks Data on Modified Gunner Protection Design

Filed under STEM, Technology by jtozer on February 8, 2013 at 9:45 am {no comments}

The best way to evaluate the effectiveness of a product is to put it in the hands of the user, obtain feedback, and make adjustments accordingly.

With a newly developed Virtual Environment Test Bed scientists and engineers at the Target Behavioral Research Laboratory at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., can record how soldiers react and perform inside a newly modified Objective Gunner Protection Kit. (Photo by Todd Mozes)

With a newly developed Virtual Environment Test Bed, or VETB, scientists and engineers at the Target Behavioral Research Laboratory at Picatinny Arsenal can record how soldiers react and perform inside a newly modified Objective Gunner Protection Kit, or OGPK.

The OGPK is an armored turret that provides much-needed protection for tactical vehicle gunners in combat situations. Soldiers voted the OGPK as one of the Army‘s top 10 Greatest Inventions in 2007, the year it was first fielded.

“The purpose of testing the OGPK in a virtual test bed is to evaluate gunner performance in various threat scenarios,” said Thomas Kiel, chief, Turret Engineering and Force Protection in the Systems Engineering Directorate, part of the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, known as ARDEC.

A customized version of the “America’s Army” gaming environment was integrated with the actual OGPK hardware and weapon system to provide a more realistic simulation.

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Breaking The Efficiency Barrier

Filed under Energy, STEM by jtozer on February 7, 2013 at 7:06 am {no comments}

Schematic diagram of a multi-junction (MJ) solar cell formed from materials lattice-matched to InP and achieving the bandgaps for maximum efficiency.
(Photo: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory)

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory scientists in the Electronics Technology and Science Division, in collaboration with the Imperial College London and MicroLink Devices, Inc., Niles, Ill., have proposed a novel triple-junction solar cell with the potential to break the 50 percent conversion efficiency barrier, which is the current goal in multi-junction photovoltaic development.

“This research has produced a novel, realistically achievable, lattice-matched, multi-junction solar cell design with the potential to break the 50 percent power conversion efficiency mark under concentrated illumination,” said Robert Walters, Ph.D., NRL research physicist.

“At present, the world record triple-junction solar cell efficiency is 44 percent under concentration and it is generally accepted that a major technology breakthrough will be required for the efficiency of these cells to increase much further.”

In multi-junction (MJ) solar cells, each junction is ‘tuned’ to different wavelength bands in the solar spectrum to increase efficiency. High bandgap semiconductor material is used to absorb the short wavelength radiation with longer wavelength parts transmitted to subsequent semiconductors.

In theory, an infinite-junction cell could obtain a maximum power conversion percentage of nearly 87 percent. The challenge is to develop a semiconductor material system that can attain a wide range of bandgaps and be grown with high crystalline quality.

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Army Supports Science, Technology Youth Activities

Filed under Education & Culture, STEM by jtozer on February 6, 2013 at 7:13 am {no comments}

This Boston Green Academy student (right) is at SolidWorks facility in Waltham, Mass., just outside of Boston. It was the Army-sponsored kickoff to that region. With him is Tony Schumacher, the Army-sponsored NHRA Top Fuel Dragster driver.(courtesy photo)

Today’s soldiers are strong and technologically savvy, and the Army aims to continue to attract these young people to its ranks, said Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Marketing Mark S. Davis.

The Army also wants to educate the public about the many opportunities it offers young people who want careers in science and technology, said Davis, who also is the director of Army Marketing and Research Group, or AM&RG, which was created in April 2011.

“The more we expose the public to our soldiers, civilians and family members, the stronger our brand becomes, the more our story is understood and believed, and the more comfortable influencers and potential prospects are in recommending or serving in our ranks.”

One AM&RG initiative, started a year ago, involves science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, activities and competitions in high schools across the country.

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Renewable Energy for Kandahar University

Filed under Energy by jtozer on February 5, 2013 at 7:09 am {no comments}

Kandahar University, located in western Kandahar City, received 36 pallets of solar panels from a private U.S. company Jan. 8, marking an important day for energy independence in the Kandahar region. The panels, worth nearly $1 million, were donated by First Solar of Arizona and will provide enough electricity to fully support the campus.

U.S. Army Civil-Military Operations Center Director Maj. Narvaez Stinson of the 450th Civil Affair Battalion (Airborne) coordinates the convoy movement while at Forward Operating Base Walton Jan. 8. Arizona based company First Solar donated more than 900 panels to the university, their second donation here since last year. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Jeff Neff)

With support from the local municipal government and the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team, a total of 900 solar panels which will generate 135 kilowatts of electricity, were delivered to the university. After installation, the university will boast about 170kw with unused energy available to give back to the grid.

Chancellor Dr. Hazrat Mir Totakhil and Vice Chancellor and Lead Engineer Abdul Tawab gladly welcomed the convoy of local flatbed trucks, escorted by U.S. military personnel and the Infrastructure Team.

Infrastructure Team lead Navy Lt. Jason Gabbard and Army Civil-Military Operations Center director Maj. Narvaez Stinson, planned, coordinated and executed the overall movement from Kandahar Airfield to the university.

“Today is possible because of the tireless efforts of my predecessor, Mr. Gerry Paulus, who never wavered in his vision of energy independence for Kandahar University,” said Gabbard. “I am honored to continue his legacy.”

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Chasing the Winter Storm

Filed under Earth Sciences, Featured, STEM by jtozer on February 4, 2013 at 7:34 am {no comments}

When we think of storm missions, we think of tornado chasers. Hurricane hunters. People in the thick of the kind of meteorological drama that we typically only see on movie screens.

I love when the flying cow picture is applicable in one of my stories. (Photo from Twister, copyright Amblin Entertainment)

And in most cases you would be right. Because let’s face it; storm chasing is a hard job to “down play”. It’s pretty much as exciting as it sounds (I’ve spoken to a storm chaser before and he proved that).

But the funny thing about it is that the storm chasing doesn’t stop at deadly cyclones in the summer. Oh no, my fantastic science fans. Chasing storms is a year round mission.

So what do the hurricane hunters do during the hurricane off-season?

Why, chase winter storms of course.

Lieutenant Colonel Jon Talbot is the Chief Meteorologist of the 53^rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, 403^rd Wing, Air Force Reserve Command at Keesler AFB, Mississippi. Basically, he’s the man in charge of the people who chase storms.

All kinds of storms.

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