radar news stories on Newser

Russia: US May Have Killed Probe

Kate Schwartz — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:31:46 CST

Russia's failed Mars moon probe may be sleeping with the fishes , but the questions about what went wrong with the Phobos-Grunt have yet to be put to rest. The newest theory: the US did it, inadvertently, of course. Russia is reviewing whether emissions from a US radar station may have...

Radar Finds Preserved Roman Gladiator School

John Johnson — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 17:58:39 CDT

Archeologists near Vienna, Austria, say underground radar has made a spectacular find: a Roman gladiator school that appears to be in better shape than any found so far, reports Der Spiegel . It even still has the wooden post used to represent an opponent in the arena. Don't bank on seeing...

New Way to Fight Pirates: With a Laser

Matt Cantor — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 13:49:59 CST

Somali pirates, beware: British scientists are developing a laser that works by confusing would-be attackers from more than a mile away, the Daily Mail reports. The laser hides the ship in a veil of green light, preventing pirates from easily steering toward or aiming at their victims. “We are using...

Iran Flaunts Defense Systems in War Games

Matt Cantor — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 10:23:05 CST

War games are underway in Iran as the country puts its defensive prowess on display: Radar and signal detection equipment was turned on around 4,200 miles of borderland; military forces went on alert; and six planes staged a mock raid, likely simulating a US or Israeli attack on nuclear...

Radar Uncovers Ancient Egyptian City

Rob Quinn — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 12:42:00 CDT

Archaeologists have used satellite radar images to map a long-lost Egyptian city, reports the BBC. The team discovered a detailed outline of Avaris, the summer capital of the Hyksos invaders some 3,500 years ago. The picture reveals streets, houses, tombs, and the remains of a port area. The site...

'Blacker Than Black' Is the New Black

Jane Yager — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 06:12:35 CDT

It's intended for military use, but it may also interest fashionistas: Scientists claim to have engineered a new "blacker than black" color that absorbs far more light than any previously known shade of black. The new ultrablack metamaterial—a type of material made of components smaller than the wavelengths of...

NORAD Sets Sights on Santa

Harry Kimball — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:44:45 CST

The North American Aerospace Defense Command is ready for its busiest night of the year, when it puts mundane tasks like looking for wandering Russian bombers or North Korean missiles on the back burner and tracks Santa Claus. As it has every Christmas for more than 50 years, NORAD offers...

Volvo Promises Crash-Proof Car By 2020

Peter Fearon — Thu, 01 May 2008 04:35:32 CDT

Volvo executives have vowed to create an un-crashable, injury-proof car by 2020, Reuters reports. The car manufacturer is adapting technology developed for commercial aviation to create a vehicle that will take over the controls in a dangerous situation and brake or steer out of harm's way. Engineers are hopeful such...

Glitches Delay 'Virtual' Border Fence 3 Years

Daniel Kibblesmith — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 08:12:21 CST

Plans to build a high-tech "virtual fence" along the US-Mexico border have been set back at least 3 years after serious problems emerged in the pilot project, the Washington Post reports. The 28-mile fence south of Tuscon, which included unmanned surveillance towers equipped with radar linked to computers, didn't function...