Short Takes – 1-19-24

Meet Helios, a new class of space tug with some real muscle. ArsTechnica.com article. Interesting business model, piggyback on SpaceX. Pull quote: “Now operating with about 90 employees, Mueller intends for Impulse to build upon the success of SpaceX. That launch company is well on its way to solving the problem of low-cost access to space with the Falcon 9 rocket now, and Starship in the near future. Impulse Space seeks to join other commercial space companies leveraging that capability by building spacecraft that can do new, interesting, and sustainable things in space.”

New material opens up possibility of converting water pollutants into hydrogen gas.Phys.org article. Still evolves CO2, so not strictly ‘green hydrogen’ but interesting nonetheless.  Pull quote: “The team's findings could help use urea in waste streams to efficiently produce hydrogen fuel through the electrolysis process, and could be used to sequester urea from water, maintaining the long-term sustainability of ecological systems, and revolutionizing the water-energy nexus.”

Availability of Two Draft Toxicological Profiles. Federal Register ATSDR notice. Summary: “The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announces the opening of a docket to obtain comments on drafts of two updated toxicological profiles: chloroform and chloroethane [emphasis added]. This action is necessary as this is the opportunity for members of the public and organizations to submit comments on drafts of the profiles. The intended effect of this action is to ensure that the public can note any pertinent additional information or reports on studies about the health effects caused by exposure to the substances covered in these two profiles for review.”

Small Spacecraft Aims to Make Japan 5th Nation on the Moon. NYTimes.com article. Link includes second article: What is SLIM?  Pull quote: “The next spacecraft that will try to reach lunar soil in one piece is from JAXA, the Japanese space agency, and is known as Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM. It is aiming for a site near the Shioli crater on the lunar near side. If the landing succeeds, it will make Japan the fifth country to land on the moon, after the Soviet Union, the United States, China and India.”

DOE Announces Phase One Prize Winners to Boost Recycling for a Circular Wind Energy Economy. Energy.gov press release. Pull quote: “About 85%–90% of the mass of a wind turbine is made of materials that can already be commercially recycled. This prize aims to close the gap on the remaining 10%–15% of unrecyclable material, which is primarily carbon fiber and fiberglass (found in wind turbine blades, nacelle covers, and hub covers), and rare earth elements like neodymium and dysprosium (found in generators).”

How the Drone War in Ukraine Is Transforming Conflict. CFR.org article. Good information, but fails to look beyond Ukraine conflict. Pull quote: “This expanded drone production could be enough to counter Russia’s shortage of drones on the front lines and turn the tide of the conflict in its favor. However, Ukraine’s ability to acquire and crowdsource commercial drone technology, tactically modify drones in the field based on real-time feedback, and alter tactics to defeat anti-drone systems have proved to be crucial to its war effort. Even while overmatched force-wise, Ukraine has shown how savvy technological adaptation can change twenty-first century warfare and could tip the balance of power in favor of the force that is more innovative.”

Chemical industry associations urge federal antiterrorism support. CEN.ACS.org article. Continued active and vocal industry support for CFATS program. Pull quote: ““I spend a good portion of my day job pushing back against federal regulatory overreach, but this is a unique situation in which regulators and industry are aligned,” said Chris Jahn, CEO of the American Chemistry Council. “Our companies should not be forced to go it alone; we need a partner that can provide threat information and security expertise.””