Building a Sustainable Cargo Ship

On this week's news update…

Spacesuit Technology

NASA test new spacesuit technology…

Sustainable Ship 

Building a sustainable cargo ship…

City Stargazing 

And stargazing in the center of the city!

First up…

In space, temperatures can become dangerously hot, so astronauts rely on spacesuits to keep cool.

Astronauts working on the International Space Station are connected via a tube. Water is pumped along the tube, and runs through flexible pipes in the spacesuit to keep the astronauts cool.

Now, in preparation for future missions to the moon, NASA is testing a spacesuit cooling system that can operate without being connected to a larger spaceship.

The system's water pumps, temperature sensors, and tubes are all being tested before being fitted into a real-life spacesuit. If the tests prove successful, the system could help future astronauts keep cool for longer as they explore the surface of the moon!

Up next…

Eco-Zone

It's Eco-Zone!

Cargo ships transport goods all around the world, but they can be very damaging to the environment.

It takes a lot of resources to build a ship, and many produce large amounts of greenhouse gases as they travel the oceans.

However, a team of boatbuilding engineers are on a mission to prove that cargo ships can actually be environmentally friendly.

Based in Costa Rica, the boatbuilders are using locally sourced wood to build a wooden cargo ship. Named Ceiba, the 150-foot-long ship is being constructed using traditional ship building techniques.

Ceiba

Designed to transport locally produced goods like coffee, Ceiba will rely on sails and the power of the wind to guide her across the seas.

Due to set sail in 2023, Ceiba could soon be transporting cargo safely around the world without damaging the environment.

And finally…

Stargazing is usually carried out far away from cities, where light doesn't interfere with views of the sky.

However, a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is successfully stargazing in the city of Boston! Evan Kramer is using a specialized camera to take photos of the night sky, a process known as astrophotography.

astrophotography

His stunning images show the city at nighttime, and the stars overhead.

Originally I thought I wanted to be an astronomer, because I loved looking for things in the night sky, but quickly I realized that I mostly enjoyed making the instruments that enable one to observe the night sky.

So instead of being an astronomer I realized that maybe aerospace engineering was the right thing for me.

Evan's instruments will help scientists take clearer photos of the stars, hopefully inspiring more people to take up stargazing themselves!

That's all for this week, we'll see you next time!