{"id":20876,"date":"2022-05-03T14:47:12","date_gmt":"2022-05-03T13:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=20876"},"modified":"2022-05-03T14:47:12","modified_gmt":"2022-05-03T13:47:12","slug":"spacecraft-utilised-x-rays-pulsars-navigate-deep-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/spacecraft-utilised-x-rays-pulsars-navigate-deep-space\/20876\/","title":{"rendered":"Spacecraft utilised x-rays from pulsars to navigate in deep space"},"content":{"rendered":"
The remnants of a collapsed neutron star<\/a>, called a pulsar, are magnetically charged and can spin anywhere from one rotation per second to hundreds of rotations per second. These celestial bodies, each 12 to 15 miles in diameter, generate light within the x-ray wavelength spectrum. Researchers from the University of Illinois<\/a>\u2019 Urbana-Champaign have developed a novel way a spacecraft can utilise signals from multiple pulsars to navigate in deep space.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can use star trackers to determine the direction that a spacecraft is pointing, but to learn the precise location of the spacecraft, we rely on radio signals sent between the spacecraft and the Earth. This can take a lot of time and requires the use of an oversubscribed infrastructure, like NASA\u2019s Deep Space Network,\u201d explained\u00a0Zach Putnam, Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Illinois University.<\/p>\nPulsar stars<\/h3>\n