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NASA will create Bose-Einstein condensates in the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station, where they can last for longer periods of time:
This summer, an ice chest-sized box will fly to the International Space Station, where it will create the coolest spot in the universe. [...] Its instruments are designed to freeze gas atoms to a mere billionth of a degree above absolute zero. That's more than 100 million times colder than the depths of space.
[...] NASA has never before created or observed Bose-Einstein condensates in space. On Earth, the pull of gravity causes atoms to continually settle towards the ground, meaning they're typically only observable for fractions of a second.
But on the International Space Station, ultra-cold atoms can hold their wave-like forms longer while in freefall. That offers scientists a longer window to understand physics at its most basic level. Thompson estimated that CAL (Cold Atom Laboratory) will allow Bose-Einstein condensates to be observable for up to five to 10 seconds; future development of the technologies used on CAL could allow them to last for hundreds of seconds.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 07 2017, @06:33PM (1 child)
It's all the politicians and "public servants" out there. Full of hot air, expelling it all the time. Because of their continual diligence and effort, there's enough air still floating around for us to breathe. Otherwise it'd all have settled out years ago.
(Score: 3, Funny) by bob_super on Tuesday March 07 2017, @06:43PM
Don't worry! We're working on stopping all atmospheric motion [snopes.com] with our giant windmills.
Also: If they're gonna do serious science on the ISS, can they pick up the LHC? I'd prefer my black holes to be in LEO rather than underground.