☀️ US' hypersonic missile, China’s ‘artificial sun’, a 2000-year-old battery?

The United States tested an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with multiple targetable re-entry vehicles on the day when Donald Trump won the presidential election.

The test was conducted aboard the Airborne Launch Control System (ALCS) at 11:01 pm Pacific Time from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Dive deeper into this Must-Read.

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MUST-READ

🚀 US tests hypersonic nuclear missile ahead of Trump’s election as 47th President

“This Minuteman III test launch exemplified the mission readiness, agility, and professionalism of the personnel at Vandenberg, Global Strike Command, and the US Navy,” said Col. Dorian Hatcher, Space Launch Delta 30 deputy commander.

“Every test of this deterrent system at Vandenberg underscores the nations robust capabilities and highlights the indispensable support our Airmen and Guardians provide to ensure national security.”

The test was conducted by a joint team of Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen and Navy aircrew.

🔋 Baghdad Battery: The 2000-year-old artifact and its timeless mystery

Electrochemical storage technologies are essential to modern life, fueling everything from smartphones to sustainable transportation. Yet, the roots of this technology extend deep into antiquity, far beyond today’s lithium-ion marvels. The so-called Baghdad Battery is among the most mysterious artifacts in the annals of ancient technology.

Unearthed in 1936 near the ruins of Ctesiphon, this assembly of a ceramic pot, copper tube, and iron rod presents a puzzle that has baffled the scientific community for nearly a century.

Was it an ancient tool for electrochemical energy storage, or does its significance lie elsewhere? The debate continues, as does the quest to unlock the secrets of our electrochemical past.

☀️ China’s ‘artificial sun’ gets a ‘super eye’ to boost fusion reactor monitoring

China has taken a significant step towards realizing the dream of clean energy through nuclear fusion. The country’s most advanced “artificial sun,” the Huanliu-3 (HL-3) tokamak device, has commenced a new phase of experiments, which features a digital twin system.

The HL-3, developed by the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), replicates the process that powers the sun. It uses powerful magnetic fields to confine and superheat a plasma of hydrogen isotopes, forcing them to fuse and release enormous amounts of energy.

This process requires precise control and monitoring, especially during the “baking” of the vacuum chamber. Baking involves heating the vacuum chamber to extreme temperatures to eliminate impurities that could disrupt the plasma.

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