Engineers just designed a better 'shock absorber' for spacecraft
Rocket launches are among the most violent ways humans have devised to travel. They generate millions of pounds of thrust and subject passengers to intense g-forces.
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Rocket launches are among the most violent ways humans have devised to travel.
They generate millions of pounds of thrust and subject passengers to intense g-forces.
Humans must undergo serious training to withstand those forces, while machines must be designed to survive them.
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The useful part
Rocket launches are among the most violent ways humans have devised to travel. They generate millions of pounds of thrust and subject passengers to intense g-forces. Humans must undergo serious training to withstand those forces, while machines must be designed to survive them.
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- Now, researchers in Switzerland have come up with an ingenious way to make that less likely.
- If a delicate mirror or solder joint cracks before a multibillion-dollar satellite even begins its mission, the years of effort that went into its design and assembly could be lost.
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