To journey and return from other planets, future spacecraft may have to do something they've never done before: refuel in space. Thanks to a Purdue University experiment, scientists are now beginning to understand how cryogenic liquids behave in zero-gravity, and how this affects the future operation of propellant depots in space. 

Vacuum technologies have advanced the field of cryogenics, allowing researchers to push the frontiers of what we know and businesses to apply that knowledge and drive innovation across a wide range of industries. The intersection of vacuum and cryogenic sciences is a demanding one. Pressure and temperature requirements create a playing field where only certain materials of construction and precise techniques and processes can play. Whether a component within a closed cryogenic system or a transfer link to be reused and repurposed, metal hoses are well suited for these exacting environments.

by Michael Werner, Project Scientist, Spitzer Space Telescope—Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology 

NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, launched in August 2003 and decommissioned in January 2020 after more than 16 glorious years of exploration of the universe at infrared wavelengths, was a technical and scientific marvel. Infrared astronomical studies at wavelengths longward of 1 micron, somewhat beyond the limit of human vision at around 0.7 microns, began in earnest around 1960. These early studies, carried out on ambient temperature telescopes within the atmosphere, advanced astronomical understanding of targets from planets within the solar system to distant and highly luminous galaxies. However, they could not disguise the fact that the earth is a hostile environment for infrared astronomy.

Recently, NIRISS, one of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s four primary scientific instruments concluded its postlaunch preparations and was declared ready for science. Now a second of Webb’s four primary scientific instruments, known as the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), has also concluded its postlaunch preparations and is now ready for science.

Theoretical physics is full of weird and wonderful concepts: wormholes, quantum foam and multiverses, just to name a few. The problem is that while such things easily emerge from theorists’ equations, they are practically impossible to create and test in a laboratory setting. But for one such “untestable” theory, an experimental setup might be just on the horizon. 

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has delivered the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe so far. Webb’s First Deep Field is galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, and it is teeming with thousands of galaxies – including the faintest objects ever observed in the infrared. 

Researchers at the Max-Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Germany and the Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory have recently carried out an experiment aimed at measuring the rate of quantum transitions caused by collisions between molecules and electrons. Their findings, published in Physical Review Letters, offer the first experimental evidence of this rate, which had previously only been theoretically estimated.

Ryan Day studies superconductors. Materials that conduct electricity perfectly, losing no energy to heat and resistance. Specifically, the University of California, Berkeley scientist studies how superconductors can coexist with their opposites; insulating materials that stop the flow of electrons. The materials that combine these two opposed states, called topological superconductors, are understandably weird, hard to characterize and engineer, but if one could design them properly, they could play an important role in quantum computing.

In biology, getting rid of stuff can be just as important as making it. A buildup of cells, proteins, or other molecules that are no longer needed can cause problems, so living things have evolved several ways to clean house. A prime example is the RNA exosome. RNA molecules perform many roles in cells. Some of them are translated into proteins; others form a cell’s protein-building machinery. The RNA exosome is a cellular machine that degrades RNA molecules that are faulty, harmful, or no longer needed. Without this microscopic Marie Kondo to prune what doesn’t spark joy, our cells would become dysfunctional hoarders, unable to function.

Scientists are about to get a new look at Mars, thanks to a multicolored 5.6-gigapixel map. Covering 86% of the Red Planet’s surface, the map reveals the distribution of dozens of key minerals. By looking at mineral distribution, scientists can better understand Mars’ watery past and can prioritize which regions need to be studied in more depth.

Since last year, a Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck fuel-cell prototype has been undergoing intensive testing both on the in-house test track and on public roads. Daimler Truck is now putting another prototype into operation to test the use of liquid hydrogen. Political support for the development program comes from Daniela Schmitt, Minister of Economic Affairs of Rhineland-Palatinate, who opened the regional hydrogen week “Woche des Wasserstoffs SÜD” with a test drive in Wörth am Rhein, Germany.

FormFactor, Inc., a leading semiconductor test and measurement supplier, today announced an innovative and new cryogenic test service business model designed to accelerate quantum computing IC development and characterization. Quantum developers can now leverage FormFactor’s state-of-the-art Advanced Cryogenic Lab located at Boulder, Colorado, to characterize qubits and resonators using cryostats with groundbreaking probe sockets to accelerate development cycles by more than 2X, with no up-front capital investment.

Writing in the journal Cryogenics, a team of scientists from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute has evaluated the performance of a helium heat exchanger for launch vehicles. Performance was evaluated under real engine operating conditions. 

In the basement of the University of New Mexico’s chemistry building, Karen Smith punched in the code to get into the lab she manages. Inside, three white cylinders on blue legs that looked sort of like nine-foot-tall cousins of R2-D2 were humming away. “You’re going to want to stay fairly close to the door,” Smith said. “In case the powerful magnets inside those instruments could mess with my recording equipment. These magnets are donuts of wire, and because they’re sitting in liquid helium, they’ve got a lot of electricity running through them, which means they can generate very strong magnetic fields.” 

Vanzetti Engineering’s cryogenic pumps have been chosen for the Aria Project of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN) in partnership with Carbosulcis S.p.A., a company owned by the Sardinia Region. The Aria Project involves the construction of a cryogenic distillation tower in Sardinia, Italy, for the production of high purity enriched stable isotopes. The project is an integral part of the DarkSide-20k experiment that will be carried out at the Gran Sasso National Laboratories (LNGS) of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), the objective of which is to detect dark matter directly. Dark matter, the nature of which is still unknown, represents most of the matter that makes up our universe, where it is five times more abundant than ordinary matter that makes up everything we can see today. Understanding its nature is therefore one of the main areas of research in the field of fundamental physics, as it would make a significant contribution to the understanding of cosmology, physics and astrophysics.

Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are essential small molecules for life, matter and energy. They embody Air Liquide’s scientific territory and have been at the core of the company’s activities since its creation in 1902. A world leader in gases, technologies and services for industry and health, Air Liquide’s ambition is to deliver long-term performance and contributions to sustainability, with a strong commitment to climate change and energy transition at the heart of its strategy.