Research Report - Tornado-chasing drones; volcanic snow algae; and more from CU Boulder
CU Boulder’s Project TORUS, the largest and most ambitious drone-based investigation of severe thunderstorms ever, will shed light on how supercell thunderstorms form tornadoes and eventually increase advance warning times. Read more at The Washington Post.
FUNDING: NSF / NOAA
A first-of-its-kind camera developed in partnership between CU Boulder and Ball Aerospace will soon be landing on the moon. The camera will ride along with one of three robotic landers that will touch down on the lunar surface in the next several years—a key step in NASA’s goal of sending people back to the moon by 2024. Read more at Space.com.
FUNDING: NASA
High in the Andes Mountains, CU Boulder researchers have discovered that dagger-shaped ice formations house thriving microbial communities, offering an oasis for life in one of Earth’s harshest environments as well as a possible analogue for life on other planets. Read more at The New York Times.
FUNDING: NSF
Artificial gravity has long been the stuff of science fiction, but CU Boulder engineers are working to make the out-there technology a reality. The innovation could help astronauts reduce bone loss, muscle loss, cardiovascular deconditioning and other side effects of space travel. Read more at CNET.
FUNDING: NASA