A team of scientists from National Central University yesterday unveiled what they said was the world’s most compact and precise advanced ionospheric probe (AIP), which is to be installed on FORMOSAT-5 — the nation’s first independently developed optical remote-sensing satellite — and deployed for weather and earthquake forecasting.
The device, nicknamed the “Cosmic Cube” by the researchers for its ability to measure “enormous cosmic powers,” is just 10cm3 in size and weighs 4kg — 0.6kg lighter than the ion velocity meter developed in the US and 10kg lighter than its predecessor, project leader Chao Chi-kuang (趙吉光) said.
The reduced weight in the satellite’s payload lowers the cost for the space mission by about NT$30 million (US$957,700), equivalent to the subsidy provided by the National Applied Research Laboratories to build the device, Chao said.
The probe can take 8,192 samples of positive cations — ions with positive electrical charges — per second when operating at full capacity, compared with 160 samples per second for the European Space Agency’s DEMETER spacecraft, Chao said.
One of the instrument’s most prominent features is its unibody sieve, which is made of pure gold to achieve optimal potential energy structure while sifting out ions suitable for measurements, Chao said. This increases the accuracy of measurements while greatly reducing the pollution produced by electrodes compared with sieves made of stainless steel.
As ions travel at 800km per second in the ionosphere, the AIP’s high sampling rate shortens the intervals between samples, thereby enabling more accurate measurements of the ion density, velocity and temperature, while circumventing potential damage space weather could have on satellites and communication systems used on fishing boats and military vessels.
It can also be deployed for forecasting earthquakes, which are known to be preceded by a phenomenon involving fluctuations in ion concentration levels 24 hours to 10 days before they hit an area.
Citing samples conducted in the waters off Yilan County on March 31, 2002 — two days before a magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Taiwan — National Space Organization chief scientist Liu Jann-yeng (劉正彥) said that ion density in the ionosphere above Yilan dropped to abnormal levels, which in turn caused plasma density in the ionosphere to fall as well.
“The time at which anomalies in ion density preceding earthquakes are detected varies from one place to another. For example, those detected from Taiwan range from one to five days and are characterized by sudden drops. Detections from China range from one to six days, while detections from Japan take the form of a positive anomaly and usually take place one to three days before an earthquake,” Liu said.
Chao said he started research on the probe about 20 years ago, when he was still a junior in college.
To pass down the legacy of Taiwan’s aeronautics education, he said the university has teamed up with the Taoyuan Government and National Applied Research Laboratories to offer courses on general aeronautics to all 11 municipal high schools in the city.
Outstanding students will be given an opportunity to visit satellite launch sites in the US, with all fees covered by the municipal government, he said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
RSS