Laser flashes that can 'see' the air around a spacecraft — without ever touching it

Testing a spacecraft's heat shield means measuring air that is moving faster than sound and hot enough to destroy any probe placed in it. Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington have shown a way to measure that air without touching it: extremely short laser pulses — lasting a quadrillionth of a second — split nitrogen molecules in the flow, and the glow as they recombine traces exactly how the air moves, even in the thin, fierce layer right next to a vehicle's skin. Published in Communications Engineering, the method gives engineers clearer evidence for the models that protect crews and cargo on the most punishing minutes of a flight.

SDG 9 · Industry, innovation and infrastructure — Mechanism: tech innovation