Stress tensor mesostructures for deterministic figuring of thin substrates


New research paper from MIT and University of Arizona, funded by NASA. Abstract "Accessing the immense value of freeform surfaces for mass-sensitive applications such as space optics or metaform optical components requires fabrication processes that are suited to figuring thin substrates. We present stress tensor mesostructures for precisely correcting figure errors, even after microstruc... » read more

RT Kintex UltraScale FPGAs For Ultra High Throughput And High Bandwidth Applications


Xilinx's UltraScale architecture extends FPGA capability for space applications, delivering a step-function increase in I/O and memory bandwidth, capacity, performance, and in-orbit re-configurability. For the first time, the RT Kintex UltraScale XQRKU060 FPGA enables the satellite industry to access ultra-high throughput on-board processing of hundreds of Gb/s. This capability allows spacecraf... » read more

Far Out AI In Remote Locations


There really isn’t anything that you can do on Earth with electronics that you can’t do in space, but it certainly can be a lot harder and take longer to fix is something goes wrong. And as more intelligent electronics are launched into space, the concern over potential failures is growing. AI inferencing has been pushing out further for some time, and it is starting to redefine what con... » read more

Getting To Orbit And The Rocket Equation


The Apollo 12 mission recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Launching on November 14, 1969 and returning on November 24, it put humans on the Moon for the second time. I wrote about Apollo 11 (mostly about its guidance computer) earlier in the year in my post The First Computer on the Moon. Today's post is about the rocket equation, and how challenging it is to get into orbit around th... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Feb. 14


Electronics for Venus A team of scientists at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland demonstrated the first prolonged operation of electronics in the harsh conditions found on Venus. Current Venus landers can only operate on the planet's surface for a few hours due to the extreme atmospheric conditions. The surface temperature on Venus is nearly 860 degrees Fahrenheit, and the planet h... » read more