ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In the high desert of Nevada, Elizabeth Silber watched NASA’s Sample Return Capsule from OSIRIS-REx descend into Earth’s atmosphere on Sunday, but unlike most scientists, she wasn’t there for the asteroid rocks. Silber, a physicist at Sandia National Laboratories, is working with researchers from Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories, the Defense […]
Tag Archives: LDRD
Beyond Bennu: How OSIRIS-REx is helping scientists study the sonic signature of meteoroids
September 25, 2023 – 5:00 am
Testing new technology and research on orbit
August 28, 2023 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Industry can develop new computer chips and other potential satellite payload components more quickly than national labs can test and integrate them into satellites that must meet strict security and space-readiness standards. This can create a lag in using the latest technology for national security space systems. A Sandia National Laboratories team […]
Silicon nose: Small sensor ‘smells’ incipient seizures
June 20, 2023 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In people with epilepsy, seizure-alert dogs can smell small changes in body chemistry and warn of an impending seizure an hour or more before it occurs. Inspired by this feat of nature, a team of researchers has sniffed out a way to replicate the ability with technology. Sandia National Laboratories and research […]
Using math to map social connections
May 4, 2023 – 5:00 am
LIVERMORE, Calif. — Imagine being able to predict how a group of people will behave before they even know it themselves. From the dynamics of a sports team to the complexities of a nation, the ability to anticipate human interactions has long been a goal of scientists and analysts. Now, a team of researchers at […]
Let’s get cracking: Sandia scientists detect gases from fractured rock
May 2, 2023 – 7:03 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Geoscientists have detected specific gases being released from fractured rocks in real time after a series of small chemical explosions set underground. This fundamental research, led by Sandia National Laboratories geoscientist Steve Bauer, could one day improve the prediction of earthquakes or detection of underground explosions. “In the different shots, we were […]
Hackers could try to take over a military aircraft; can a cyber shuffle stop them?
February 27, 2023 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A cybersecurity technique that shuffles network addresses like a blackjack dealer shuffles playing cards could effectively befuddle hackers gambling for control of a military jet, commercial airliner or spacecraft, according to new research. However, the research also shows these defenses must be designed to counter increasingly sophisticated algorithms used to break them. […]
Studying ship tracks to inform climate intervention decision-makers
February 20, 2023 – 7:10 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Scientists from Sandia National Laboratories are studying ship tracks — clouds that reflect sunlight and are formed by moving ships, similar to contrails from planes — to help inform decision-makers of the benefits and risks of one technology being considered to slow climate change. To understand how these ship tracks move and […]
New superalloy could cut carbon emissions from power plants
February 16, 2023 – 10:42 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — As the world looks for ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions, researchers from Sandia National Laboratories have shown that a new 3D-printed superalloy could help power plants generate more electricity while producing less carbon. Sandia scientists, collaborating with researchers at Ames National Laboratory, Iowa State University and Bruker Corp., used a 3D […]
Securing supply chains with quantum computing
February 14, 2023 – 9:09 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Russo-Ukrainian conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic have shown how vulnerable global supply chains can be. International events can disrupt manufacturing, delay shipping, induce panic buying and send energy costs soaring. New research in quantum computing at Sandia National Laboratories is moving science closer to being able to overcome supply-chain challenges and […]
Can clay capture carbon dioxide?
February 9, 2023 – 9:49 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The atmospheric level of carbon dioxide — a gas that is great at trapping heat, contributing to climate change — is almost double what it was prior to the Industrial Revolution, yet it only constitutes 0.0415% of the air we breathe. This presents a challenge to researchers attempting to design artificial trees […]
A fresh look at restoring power to the grid
January 31, 2023 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Climate change can alter extreme weather events, and these events have the potential to strain, disrupt or damage the nation’s grid. Sandia National Laboratories computer scientists have been working on an innovative computer model to help grid operators quickly restore power to the grid after a complete disruption, a process called “black […]
Sandia nuclear physicist selected fellow of AAAS
January 13, 2021 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Susan Seestrom, associate laboratories director for advanced science and technology and chief research officer at Sandia National Laboratories, has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The physicist was cited “for her pathbreaking work in nuclear physics, especially using ultra cold neutrons, and her leadership, both […]
Materials developed at Sandia help extinguish solar panel fires before they ignite
November 19, 2020 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — As solar panels become popular and their voltages increase, there is a need to have built-in capabilities to extinguish fires caused by arc-faults, which are high-power discharges of electricity that can create explosions or flash events due to damaged wires. Sandia National Laboratories researcher Kenny Armijo has spent 10 years working alongside […]
How to multitask when nuclear nonproliferation is on the line
September 29, 2020 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New cognitive science research from Sandia National Laboratories shows that while maps can help someone identify landmarks while being escorted, using one also limits situational awareness and knowledge of surroundings not highlighted on the map. This finding is one of several coming from a three-year project that paired cognitive scientists and international […]