NASA’s Europa mission takes another step toward reality

NASA’s current plan for exploring Europa has just passed its first major review, proving that it’s feasible, unlike any of the previous ideas the agency’s scientists cooked up. America’s space agency has been developing mission ideas for Jupiter’s moon for years and even considered sending a lander to the satellite as recently as a year ago. Its scientists also once thought of sending a spacecraft to orbit Europa, but they ended up having to scrap that plan: the moon is bathed in Jupiter’s radiation, which would quickly kill any vessel that’s constantly exposed to it. So, instead of a lander or a Europa orbiter, NASA will send out a spacecraft in the 2020s designed to orbit Jupiter itself.

As the agency revealed in May, that spacecraft will be equipped with nine imaging, radar, magnenometry and spectometry tools to study the moon’s ice crust and the subsurface ocean that’s likely underneath it. The vehicle will fly by Europa 45 times during its mission period, and it will use every chance it gets to know more about the natural satellite. It’ll even be equipped to gather liquid/gas samples, in case the moon really does erupt plumes of water into space. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been studying the mission formally known as the Clipper concept since 2011, with help from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). Now, that concept is ready to enter development phase, and if all goes well, we’ll finally know if there’s life on Jupiter’s moon.

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Source: NASA

UK government pulls support for new onshore wind farms

In the future, there’s a good chance you’ll see fewer wind farms being erected in the British countryside. That’s because the UK government is killing a subsidy scheme that gives onshore wind farms a helping hand when they sell their electricity to energy suppliers. Under the Renewables Obligation (RO) order, Ofgem currently awards wind farms special certificates based on the amount of electricity they generate. They then sell these to the UK’s energy providers, earning a premium on top of their normal wholesale prices.

The government has already announced that RO will close to new applicants after March 2017 and be replaced by the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme introduced last October. However, today the Department of Energy and Climate Change has stepped in early and said it’ll cut off RO for new wind farms in April 2016. Why? Because once a wind farm is accredited, it’s eligible for the subsidies until the scheme’s closure in 2037. In short, the government wants to limit the cash it’ll be shelling out in the coming years.

“We want to help technologies stand on their own two feet, not encourage a reliance on public subsidies.”

Unsurprisingly, wind farm owners are against the move. RenewableUK, the trade association for the wind industry, has called it a “chilling signal” that will increase people’s fuel bills. In Scotland, where a large portion of the UK’s wind power is generated, the Scottish Government has described it as “irrational.” The larger concern, however, is that subsidies awarded under the new CfD scheme could disappear for onshore wind farms. As BusinessGreen notes, the energy secretary Amber Rudd says the government wants to help wind farms “stand on their own two feet” and “not encourage a reliance on public subsidies.” It signals a further withdrawal of funding, most likely through CfD.

Targeting onshore wind farms could also win some favour from local communities. While research shows that public support for wind energy is on the rise, the Prime Minister has argued that people are “fed up” with the number of new turbines being built. While many support the principles behind renewable energy, it’s also true that some change their tune when a turbine is announced for their neighbourhood. In the Queen’s Speech, the government said it would devolve its approval powers to the local authorities. Rudd believes this will make decisions more democratic and give residents greater influence — but it could also make it harder for wind farm owners to gain planning permission.

To soften the blow, the government says it’ll offer a grace period for projects that have already been approved and were expecting RO subsidies. But the wider message is clear here: as far as the Conservatives are concerned, there’s enough wind power being generated in the UK now, and it’s time to start reigning in public spending.

[Image Credit: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images]

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Source: Department of Energy & Climate Change

OnePlus says its next flagship won’t overheat, despite what you heard

“Today, I am proud to share with you that our eagerly-awaited OnePlus 2 will come loaded with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 v2.1,” starts the blog post from OnePlus. Color us not surprised that the sequel to one of the most sought-after Android phones will come with, well, the processor you expected it to (bar those pesky overheating rumors). What’s more interesting is that “.1″ hanging off the end of the processor’s version number. OnePlus goes on to explain that it worked directly with Qualcomm to create an “improved” version of the CPU. One the phone-maker claims won’t get hot like reports suggest.

OnePlus doesn’t give too much away about what changes have been made, but we do know that thermal gel and graphite have been slathered liberally inside the handset to further dissipate any excess heat, and that in testing the phone meets “industry standards” for running temperatures. The OxygenOS software has also been optimized for the new CPU, with bespoke task management for better performance. If you were hoping for any more tidbits on the OnePlus 2, then where have you been? OnePlus is way too fond of keeping us wanting, to change now.

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Source: OnePlus