All articles tagged with #plasma science
MIT community mourns the death of Nuno FG Loureiro, a renowned plasma science and fusion center director, shot at his home in Brookline; investigation ongoing with no suspect identified, and Loureiro's contributions to fusion energy and science celebrated.
NASA's Voyager 1 and 2 probes, launched in 1977, have been on extended missions for 45 years and counting. The probes are in interstellar space and are the only spacecraft to operate beyond the heliosphere, the sun's bubble of magnetic fields and particles. The probes rely on radioisotope thermoelectric generators, and the team has had to turn off instrument heaters and other nonessential systems to conserve power. The probes' plasma science instruments are still functioning and can take direct measurements of the density of the plasma in interstellar space. As long as both Voyager 1 and 2 remain healthy, it's likely the aging probes will continue their record-breaking missions for years to come.