Aeronautical and astronautical engineering

Researchers from MIT and the European Space Agency are developing a process to evaluate how operators deploy satellites to help reduce the amount of debris in space, reports Loren Grush for The Verge. “It’s actually encouraging companies to try to beat each other in how good they behave, so they can build their brand,” explains Prof. Danielle Wood.

Fox News reporter James Rogers writes that the next International Space Station refueling flight will include an organ-on-a-chip device developed by MIT researchers. “The MIT-developed chip will be used to study the ability of bone and cartilage to recover after damage,” Rogers explains.

Boston Globe reporter Martin Finucane writes about how TESS has discovered an Earth-sized planet orbiting a star 52 light years from Earth. “The new planet HD, 21749c, orbits the star HD 21749. It circles the star in 7.8 days,” Finucane explains. “The planet is probably rocky and uninhabitable, with temperatures on the surface of up to 800 degrees.”

Forbes contributor Jamie Carter writes that TESS has identified an Earth-sized exoplanet orbiting a star 52 light years from Earth. The planet "takes about eight days to orbit the host star and is similar in size to Earth at 89% its diameter,” writes Carter. “A likely rocky world, it's thought to have surface temperatures as high as 800°F /427°C.”

The MIT-led TESS mission has discovered its first Earth-sized exoplanet, reports Ashley Strickland for CNN. “There was quite some detective work involved, and the right people were there at the right time,” says postdoctoral fellow Diana Dragomir. “But we were lucky, and we caught the signals, and they were really clear."

Popular Science reporter Rob Verger writes that MIT and NASA researchers have developed a new design for a plane wing that can change shape mid-flight. As the plane wing is assembled from hundreds of different parts, it could be programmed in a specific way to control the “response that it has to an aerodynamic load,” explains graduate student Benjamin Jenett.

MIT and NASA researchers have designed an airplane wing assembled from hundreds of identical parts that could add greater flexibility to the manufacturing process, reports Aristos Georgiou for Newsweek. “We hope that our approach improves performance, and thus saves resources, for a variety of future transport modes,” explains graduate student Benjamin Jenett.

Popular Mechanics reporter Eric Limer spotlights how MIT and NASA researchers have developed a new shape-shifting airplane wing. Limer explains that the new wing, “made up of hundreds of identical pieces, is the foundation for aircraft with flexible wings that transform dynamically in flight to create the optimal shape for their moment-to-moment flight conditions.”

Fast Company reporter Melissa Locker writes that researchers from MIT and NASA have developed a new kind of airplane wing made up of hundreds of tiny identical pieces that can change shape mid-flight. Locker explains that the new design “means the wing could transform to be optimal for each step, making flying much more efficient.”

TechCrunch reporter Devin Coldewey highlights how MIT researchers have found that tiny satellites, called CubeSats, equipped with lasers could help keep telescopes on track while they are gathering information in space. The light emitted from the lasers could allow satellites “to calculate their position and the minute changes to their imaging apparatus caused by heat and radiation.”

Prof. Steven Barrett speaks with Forbes reporter Jeremy Bogaisky about the new plane he developed that is propelled by an ion drive, noting that he is working to embed a prolusion system within the skin of the aircraft. “There’s no reason to think long-term that airplane designs with electroaerodynamic propulsion need look at all like an airplane today,” explains Barrett.

CBS Boston’s Liam Martin joined students from the MIT Rocket Team as they celebrated NASA successfully landing a probe on Mars. “Just thinking that this is one step closer to humanity being able to live on Mars, it’s really exciting,” says undergraduate Dayna Erdmann.

The Economist highlights how MIT researchers have developed the first plane that is powered by an ion drive and has no moving parts. “The use of an ion drive means the MIT craft contains no moving propulsion parts in the form of propellers or jet engines,” The Economist explains. “It can fly silently and without direct emissions from burning fossil fuels.”

CNN reporter Helen Regan highlights a new solid-state plane developed by MIT researchers that has no moving parts and does not require fossil fuels. “The flight is a milestone in ‘ionic wind’ technology,” explains Regan, “and could pave the way for quieter and environmentally cleaner aircraft in the future.”

A Nature editorial highlights the historic breakthrough achieved by MIT researchers who developed the first plane that is propelled by ionic wind and has no moving parts. Nature writes that the plane is a “remarkable machine,” adding that “anyone who watches the machine fly can surely see glimpses of a future with cleaner and quieter aircraft.”