Scientists have come up with a potential solution to deal with dust on the moon which makes conducting research tricky. Dust erodes space suits, clogs machinery, interferes with scientific instruments and makes moving around on the surface difficult. But they reckon moon dust could be melted using a giant lens developed by the European Space Agency to create solid roads and landing areas. Using a fine-grained material called EAC-1A, developed as a substitute for lunar soil, scientists used a 50mm diameter laser beam to heat the dust to about 1,600C and melt it. Then they traced out bendy triangle shapes, which could be interlocked to create solid surfaces across large areas of lunar soil to be used as road. However it would take about 100 days to create a 10 x 10m landing spot so it is not a quick fix. To make matters worse, the lens needed for the laser to work would be difficult to transport from Earth and could also get dust in it which may reduce its functionality. “You might think: ‘Streets on the moon, who needs that?’” said Prof Jens Günster, of the Federal Institute of Materials Research and Testing in Berlin and co-author of a report on the possible solution. “But in fact it’s a kind of depressing demand [even] early on. It’s very loose material, there’s no atmosphere, gravity is weak, so the dust gets everywhere. It contaminates not only your equipment but other nations’. No one would be happy to be covered in dust from another rocket." Dust has blighted previous missions, such as the Surveyor 3 spacecraft (damaged by dust kicked up by the Apollo 12 landing), and overcoming this challenge is a priority for Nasa, which aims to establish a permanent lunar outpost. Transporting building materials to the moon would be too expensive, so there is a need for unconventional solutions. “You need to use what’s there and that’s simply loose dust,” said Günster. The findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

By Yuvraj Malik (Reuters) -Uber on Tuesday predicted higher adjusted core profit in the holiday quarter on hopes of higher

Millions of phones, TVs and radios across the US will receive an alert on Wednesday as part of a nationwide test for an emergency alert system. At 2.20pm ET, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will test the Emergency Alert System for TV and radio sets, and the Wireless Emergency Alerts for phones. “These test alerts are necessary to verify that the system is working properly so that, in a real case, citizens will know what to do, depending on the information that is issued,” said Nino Correa Filomeno, the commissioner of the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Bureau, who will coordinate with FEMA for the tests. “Amid this hurricane season, and any time an emergency occurs, it is necessary to have this system in place.” It is the seventh test for the system since FEMA set it up, however there are already conspiracy theories spreading online about its actual purpose. One false theory is that the signal is being sent to activate nanoparticles that have been introduced to people’s bodies, with one widely shared claim suggesting that it relates to the Covid-19 vaccine. Some users on X, formerly Twitter, advised people to shut off their phones in order to avoid receiving the alert. One user wrote: “Recommendations include not only disabling all alerts but also removing the sim card and shutting down your phone completely, possibly putting in a faraday bag if you have one.” Any smartphone that is switched on and within range of a cell tower will receive the emergency alert test message, which will be accompanied by a “unique tone” and vibration to make sure it is seen, heard or felt by as many people as possible, including those with disabilities. The radio and television portion of the test is being conducted with the participation of broadcasters, satellite providers and cable systems. “We want to ensure that the systems continue to be effective, that the public understands and uses these alerts and warnings about emergencies, particularly those on the national level, as we work to strengthen emergency readiness among our communities,” said Orlando Olivera, a coordinator at FEMA’s Caribbean office in Puerto Rico. “This is one step to be ready for emergencies. We are encouraging everyone, especially older adults to Take Control in 1, 2, 3: Assess your needs, Make a plan, and Engage your support network.” Read More Apple blames Instagram for overheating iPhones Japan startup unveils 15-foot robot suit for space exploration New discovery is ‘holy grail’ breakthrough in search for aliens, scientist say Elon Musk’s X ordered to pay over $1m in legal fees for laid off Twitter execs

'Assassin’s Creed: Mirage' will be a third of the length of 'Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla'.

Bank of America Corp. led a $1.5 billion natural gas bond sale for oil-giant BP Plc just as

It's the most wonderful time of the year for retail therapy. Amazon's Prime Day 2023

Wizards of the Coast is banning three cards in Magic: The Gathering's Standard format to take down overpowered decks.

A pair of vintage Apple sneakers is being sold by auction house Sotheby's for $50,000.

'Baldur's Gate 3' is getting a bigger than expected update on September 22.

Stocks rose, fell, rose and fell, ultimately finishing lower this past week. Tech feels the pain.

MrBeast shared that his yacht video beat his 'Squid Game' video by five million views to become the second most watched YouTube video in 24 hours

By Sharon Bernstein, Rachel Nostrant and Rich McKay (Reuters) -Michael Shields has serviced swimming pools in the Phoenix area for