Physics and Astronomy News Archive: October 2008

Image: Mars Odyssey Shifting Orbit for Extended Mission

Mars Odyssey Shifting Orbit for Extended Mission

Source: NASA   Posted: 10/12/08

The longest-serving of six spacecraft now studying Mars is up to new tricks for a third two-year extension of its mission to examine the most Earthlike of known foreign planets.
Image: Sharper Jupiter Images From Next-Generation Adaptive Optics

Sharper Jupiter Images From Next-Generation Adaptive Optics

Source: Berkeley   Posted: 10/12/08

A two-hour observation of Jupiter using an improved technique to remove atmospheric blur has produced the sharpest whole-planet picture ever taken from the ground.
Image: New Material Mimics The Ability Of Gecko Feet To Grip Surfaces

New Material Mimics The Ability Of Gecko Feet To Grip Surfaces

Source: GeorgiaTech   Posted: 10/12/08

The race for the best “gecko foot” dry adhesive got a new competitor this week with a stronger and more practical material reported in the journal Science.
Image: Scientists Engineer Superconducting Thin Films

Scientists Engineer Superconducting Thin Films

Source: Brookhaven   Posted: 10/12/08

Brookhaven scientists have successfully produced two-layer thin films where neither layer is superconducting on its own, but which exhibit a nanometer-thick region of superconductivity at their interface.