NASA

Boron nitride nanotube fibers get real

Rice scientists create the first boron nitride nanotube fibers using the custom wet-spinning process they developed to make carbon nanotube fibers.

People, papers and presentations for April 18, 2022

Fred Oswald, a professor of psychological sciences, is one of 27 experts recently appointed to the National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee, which will advise President Joe Biden and the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office.

Earth isn’t ‘super’ because the sun had rings before planets

Before the solar system had planets, the sun had rings — bands of dust and gas similar to Saturn’s rings — that likely played a role in Earth’s formation, according to a new study.

12 questions for Nichole Ayers, Rice’s newest astronaut

Rice alumna and fighter pilot Nichole Ayers joins NASA's astronaut corps.

Orbital harmony limits late arrival of water on TRAPPIST-1 planets

Seven Earth-sized planets orbit the star TRAPPIST-1 in near-perfect harmony, and U.S. and European researchers have used that harmony to determine how much physical abuse the planets could have withstood in their infancy.

NASA’s Shannon Walker ’87 returns with gifts from space

NASA astronaut and Rice alumnus Shannon Walker ’87 returned to campus Oct. 12 to present more than a dozen Rice-related mementos that flew with her during her latest six-month mission to the International Space Station. 

Astronaut, Rice alumna speaks to RESP students

This year’s cohort of Rice Emerging Scholars Program students heard from astronaut Shannon Walker ’87 Monday at Duncan Hall.

Rice’s Walker beams down from space station

Rice alumna Shannon Walker and crewmate Kate Rubins, aboard the International Space Station, joined a conversation with students in Houston, Scotland and Ecuador.

Ultimate field trip will be out of this world

While it may be virtual, the Rice Space Institute (RSI) has organized the ultimate spring trip for grade school students.

Fermi space telescope offers 'best look ever' at giant flare

Intense light from the April 2020 eruption of a neutron star in a nearby galaxy has given astronomers their first clear look at a type of gamma-ray burst known as a magnetar giant flare.

Rice scientist joins next Mars adventure

A Rice University geologist is one of 13 scientists recently selected to operate the Mars rover Perseverance and analyze samples for an eventual return to Earth.

Meet the Rice alum in charge of NASA's prelaunch quarantine program

NASA flight surgeon Rob Mulcahy '08 was in charge of the prelaunch quarantine -- a precaution doubly important during the COVID-19 pandemic -- for the space agency's first manned mission to launch from the U.S. in almost a decade.

Tools for space are food for thought on Earth

Rice University student teams present their 3D tool database designs to NASA and help spread the word to high schoolers about the value of a STEM education.

Rice alum Shannon Walker '87 returning to space station

Rice satellite OwlSat set to launch in 2022

OwlSat, a small research satellite designed by Rice University students to monitor ultraviolet radiation, is set to launch into orbit in 2022.